Even though the NFL is in its Super Bowl Bye week, the rumors are still strong. Quarterbacks are the focus of the off-season, with names like Deshaun Watson, Matthew Stafford and, potentially, Aaron Rodgers available to trade.
The San Francisco 49ers is one of the teams mentioned as a possible destination for the three QBs, but a Las Vegas sportsbook considers them the favorites to land one of the big fish in the sea.
Bovada lists the Niners at +325 to acquire Stafford from the Detroit Lions. Here are the chances of eight other teams:
Odds of which team Matthew Stafford will be in Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season (Bovada):
49ers +325
Broncos +450
Colts +450
Lions +550
Patriots +500
Washington +650
Panthers +900
+1000 Raiders
Rams +1100
Texans +1200– Odds Shark (@OddsShark) January 27, 2021
Of course, the betting market is all based on speculation. We haven’t heard directly from general manager John Lynch or coach Kyle Shanahan that the 49ers are buying a new QB. Jimmy Garoppolo is still on the list and has a $ 26.2 million limit reached for 2021. San Francisco can cut Garoppolo and have only $ 2.8 million in dead money.
Stafford’s capitalization with his new team will be $ 20 million next season. The 32-year-old completed 64.2% of his passes with a poor Lions team in 2020, rolling for 4,084 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Historically, Vegas’ chances were not necessarily certain for some recent free agency big names.
Here’s where the oddsmakers got Tom Brady to sign during the free agency in 2020:
Tom Brady Free Agency Odds for 2020 (via William Hill)
Patriots -130
Buccaneers +150
Field +700
+800 Chargers
Raiders +1500
2020 odds to sign Le’Veon Bell
2018 odds to sign Kirk Cousins
Broncos -150
Jets +300
Brown +400
Cardinals +500
+1000 Accounts
Giants +2000
Jaguars +2000
Dolphins +2000
2012 Peyton Manning Free Agency Odds
Dolphins – even
Broncos +300
Cardinals +400
Chiefs +600
49ers + 1000
+1000 Texans
Oddsmakers were close to Brady and Manning, but far from Cousins and Bell.
It will be an interesting few months, while we wait for the quarterback market to stabilize. Watson remains the biggest prize due to his age, but Stafford would not be a bad consolation for any team looking to improve their position.
For now, Garoppolo is the only defender that the Niners have a contract for 2021. It remains to be seen whether this will still be the case in March.