It’s safe to say we know who the popular new Super Bowl contender is going to be in 2019. The Cleveland Browns stunned the NFL world Tuesday evening when they traded a first, a third, and Jabrill Peppers to the New York Giants in exchange for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Browns Super Bowl odds drastically improve with Odell Beckham Jr. trade
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Browns were one of the teams mentioned in connection with OBJ, but the thought is it would take a massive haul to get anything done. The Browns had to make some sacrifices, but they have added one of the best wide receivers in the game in the prime of his career. Cleveland is an offseason removed from Baker Mayfield’s breakout rookie season, and for the first time in a long time, there is nothing but optimism surrounding the Browns.
It is no surprise then that Las Vegas is taking note of the surging Browns. Championships may not be won in March, but Super Bowl futures are affected by these kinds of moves. The Westgate Superbook published updated odds for Super Bowl 54, and the Browns are on the move. They opened at 30/1 in mid-January, but now sit at 14/1 following the OBJ trade. They opened at 10/1 to win the AFC title, and now sit at 7/1.
It’s been a busy free agency period for Cleveland. They signed DT Sheldon Richardson and WR Breshad Perriman and acquired DE Olivier Vernon in another trade with the Giants. But it’s the OBJ trade that moves the needle. They were already a popular team coming off a fun close to the 2018 season, but these moves will have bettors coming in hard and heavy. Sportsbooks will be compensating accordingly to avoid generating too much Browns liability.
