Saints’ Super Bowl Odds Listed at +2200 After Brees Announces Retirement
- The odds of the New Orleans Saints winning the 2022 Super Bowl lengthened from +2000 to +2200 after Sunday’s announcement that QB Drew Brees was retiring
- Brees is the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yardage and touchdown passes
- New Orleans began the offseason nearly $100 million over the NFL salary cap of $182.5 million
Life is no longer a Brees for the New Orleans Saints. That’s leaving the club’s Super Bowl odds blowing in the wind.
Fifteen years to the day that Brees signed with New Orleans as a free agent, the future Hall of Fame quarterback announced his retirement from the NFL on Sunday. That decision is causing movement in the betting lines of the Saints.
The club is now listing with a Super Bowl betting line of +2200. The average Super Bowl odds on the Saints prior to Brees making his announcement was +2000.
2022 NFL Super Bowl Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | +525 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +850 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1100 |
| Buffalo Bills | +1200 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +1300 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +1300 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +1500 |
| Cleveland Browns | +2000 |
| Indianapolis Colts | +2200 |
| New Orleans Saints | +2200 |
| Miami Dolphins | +2500 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +2800 |
| Tennessee Titans | +2800 |
Odds as of Mar. 15th at DraftKings.
New Orleans currently ranks fifth among NFC teams in the 2022 Super Bowl betting market.
From a Brees to a Flutter
Moments after Brees was walking away from the game, well-deserved plaudits began pouring in for the superstar QB. He has, after all, tossed for more yardage (80,538) and TDs (571) than anyone who’s ever thrown a pass in NFL history.
Brees quarterbacked the Saints to the only Super Bowl victory in franchise history. But that was in 2009-10 and he never was able to lead them over the hump again.
Drew Brees has officially retired from the NFL @brgridiron
His kids helped him with his announcement ❤️ pic.twitter.com/p2uVvrqOPV
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 14, 2021
Brees, 42, had clearly lost something off his fastball. He was no longer a threat to throw the deep ball. Injuries cost him nine games over the course of the past two seasons.
In 2019, his TD/interception ratio was a career-high 7.1. In each of the last two seasons, his TD pass numbers and yards per attempt totals declined. Over the final four games of his NFL career, Brees threw for six TDs and was intercepted five times.
In what would prove to be his farewell performance, a 30-20 home-field loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brees was picked off three times. He finished with a passer rating of 38.1.
A Hill to Die On?
The Saints still have Taysom Hill under contract. They’ve also given indications of their desire to re-sign free agent Jameis Winston.
Hill’s arm strength and downfield accuracy didn’t wow anyone during a four-game stint replacing Brees last season. Winston displayed two things as the starter in Tampa Bay – he can pass for big numbers in terms of both yardage and interceptions.
Are those the best options for New Orleans under center? The fact of the matter is they may be the only realistic options for the Saints.
These quarterbacks had more passing TD than Taysom Hill (4) last season:
Joe Flacco
C.J. Beathard
Dwayne Haskins
Brandon Allen
Jalen Hurts
Mike Glennon pic.twitter.com/l3Q5nHgWRv— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) March 14, 2021
New Orleans entered the offseason around $100 million over the new, lower NFL salary cap of $182.5 million. Since then, the club has cut linebacker Kwon Alexander, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, receiver Emmanuel Sanders, punter Thomas Morstead, tight end Josh Hill and offensive lineman Nick Easton. Hill converted $9.689 million of his salary into a signing bonus, allowing the teams to spread the cap hit over multiple seasons.
Even after that, the Saints still remain $5.17 million over the cap. Signing a free-agent QB or trading for someone like Seattle’s Russell Wilson, who’s indicated he’d accept a move to New Orleans, simply isn’t happening.
Are Saints Blowing In the Wind?
Does the Brees decision take the wind out of New Orleans’ sails? The Saints currently rate as the #5 favorite to win the Super Bowl among NFC teams. That leaves them on the cusp of making the NFL playoffs. Tampa Bay is now the best team in the NFC South.
The Saints are four-time defending division champions. They’ve won 49 games over that span. But they’re just 3-4 in the playoffs and have reached one NFC Championship Game.
“They may be a better football team with Jameis Winston quarterbacking them.”@keyshawn explains how the Saints might improve without Drew Brees under center. #KJZ pic.twitter.com/ABHTdJ0LBl
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) March 15, 2021
In each of the last three seasons, they were eliminated from postseason play on their home field.
Are the Saints a legitimate Super Bowl contender without Brees at QB? Perhaps the better question to ask is were they a legitimate Super Bowl contender with Brees at QB?
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
