Bar raised for both Jets & Giants in ’23
It has been over a decade since either the Giants or the Jets won the Super Bowl, which has happened a combined five times in NFL history. But oddsmakers are cautiously optimistic about both teams’ chances in 2023.
The Jets (25/1) and Giants (40/1) are both dealing within the top half of the Super Bowl market at BetMGM, which released its opening odds for the 2023 NFL season shortly after the final whistle of Super Bowl 57. It’s the first time since 2012 that both New York teams have been priced at shorter than 50/1 before the year, with one (or both) dealing as a distant long shot ahead of each of the last 10 seasons.
Unsurprisingly, the Chiefs (+600) are favored to win it all after hoisting their second Lombardi Trophy in the last four seasons. Right behind them are the Bengals (+850), who nearly beat Kansas City in this year’s AFC Championship after ousting this year’s champions on that stage a year ago.
The Eagles, whose dominant run game took the league by storm and nearly netted their second Super Bowl victory in five years, are locked into a three-way tie with the 49ers and Bills — who opened last year as the favorites — for the third-shortest odds at 9/1. Only the Cowboys (14/1), Ravens (18/1) and Chargers (20/1) are also dealing at shorter than 25/1.
And then there’s the Jets, whose preseason price is their best since 2011, when they were coming off back-to-back AFC Championship appearances.
Some of that is baking in an expected leap for Robert Saleh’s group, which won seven games in 2022 despite shoddy quarterback play for basically the entire season. Much of it, though, is speculation about a deal for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, especially
after New York hired former Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett — who was Rodgers’ offensive coordinator for three years in Green Bay — as the team’s OC for the 2023 season.
That’s only fanned the flames of a potential marriage with the four-time MVP that would seemingly catapult the Jets into legitimate Super Bowl contention. If he lands in New York, this price might look like a steal in hindsight. If not? It’s a pretty penny to pay for a team led by Zach Wilson, Mike White or a veteran free agent looking for a fresh start.
A bit further down the board, you’ll find the Giants tied with the Browns, Broncos, Raiders and Vikings for the 16th-shortest odds on the board. There’s plenty of optimism in New York after the team finished 9-7-1 and earned its first playoff berth in six years, though Brian Daboll’s group still finished with a negative point differential and was blown out in the divisional round by rival Philly.
The Giants will also have some tough decisions to make this offseason on arguably the two faces of their franchise.
Quarterback Daniel Jones enters free agency with a potential price tag of up to $30 million-$40 million, which is a far cry from what an extension would have cost just a year ago. Meanwhile, star-rusher Saquon Barkley will hit free agency for the first time in his career and will likely command north of $10 million per year, which is a tough sell for a team with other pressing needs.
Will either team make good on these early expectations? Last year, both teams exceeded their preseason win total and won a combined eight games more than they did in 2021, looking nothing like the 100/1 long shots (or worse) that the betting market expected them to be.
A similar jump in 2023 would put either team into title contention — especially if their looming quarterback questions are answered in a
resounding way.