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The starting quarterback carousel still has a long way to go this postseason. Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, and Carson Wentz have all changed teams, but the sports betting world is keeping an eye on even bigger names out there.
Deshaun Watson
The agreed-upon biggest prize is Texans’ quarterback Deshaun Watson. The team moved on from the face of the franchise, J.J. Watt, but will it also part with their franchise quarterback?
The online sports betting markets say no. The most likely place that Watson will be playing next year is Houston with the most favorable odds of +125.
If Watson is traded, another leader to land him in a trade is the Carolina Panthers at +300. The Panthers just cleared $28.5 million in cap space and have reportedly offered star running back Christian McCaffrey in a trade package for Watson.
If Carolina doesn’t end up with Watson, the New York Jets (+250), the Miami Dolphins (+250) the Denver Broncos (+800) and the San Francisco 49ers (+500) are the next teams in line. Among them, the Jets have the most draft capital to trade with the Texans.
The 49ers are the most Super Bowl ready team, having been there just over a year ago. The Broncos are the most intriguing, since it would put Watson in the same division as Patrick Mahomes and Offensive Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert.
Dak Prescott
Another big name that may be on the move is Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Emphasis on “may” since neither the team nor Prescott have expressed an interest in parting ways.
In fact, if you’re placing a wager on where Prescott will play in 2021, Dallas is the overwhelming -5000 favorite.
Interestingly, as heavy a favorite as the Cowboys are, the next most-likely team, the Patriots, aren’t a big long shot, paying just +600. New England has a lot of cap space and could give Prescott the long-term contract the Cowboys neglected to renegotiate a year ago. He would also give the Patriots a centerpiece around which to rebuild.
Washington is the next most likely spot, paying +800. Washington has had an unsettled quarterback position since Kirk Cousins left for Minnesota, and Prescott would get to play his old team twice a year.
Russell Wilson
He’s a Super Bowl champion in the midst of his prime, but Russell Wilson is rumored to be on the move. The Seahawks have shown no sign that they want to move him, but Wilson did say publicly that he was “frustrated on getting hit too much.”
An NFL-high 443 sacks during his time in the league is a legitimate complaint, but online sportsbooks don’t think it will actually lead to him leaving Seattle. The odds that Wilson stays with the Seahawks are -2500. A leading indicator of this came earlier this month, when his $19 million salary for 2021 became fully guaranteed.
Wilson also has a full no-trade clause, so he would have to agree to waive it for any possible deal to work. The bigger hurdle though is the $40 million in dead money that would remain on Seattle’s books for 2021 were they to trade him.
Sorry, Raiders fans. Wilson will most likely keep cooking in the Pacific Northwest in 2021.
