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NFL Futures: Top Conference Winner Odds & Picks

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NFL futures bettors have not been able to cash huge paydays that often betting on teams in the preseason to win their respective conferences, largely because the Kansas City Chiefs have made life miserable for other AFC teams recently having appeared in four of the last five Super Bowls. However, the Cincinnati Bengals were the one team to break the mold in that stretch, and they could have been had at +4000 odds in the preseason that year.

The NFC has had much more parity recently, with four different teams winning the conference in the last four years (with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams being crowned eventual champions).

Earlier this week, we made the case for the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles to this year’s Super Bowl champion in our Top Early Super Bowl Winners piece. So while those two teams would be obvious plays to win their respective conferences, we make one other prediction on teams from each conference to win the AFC and NFC and play for a Super Bowl title.

Read on for our best bets to win their conferences in the 2024-25 NFL season.

NFL Conference Winner Picks

Odds to Win the AFC

(odds via DraftKings)

TEAM ODDS
Kansas City Chiefs +300
Baltimore Ravens +475
Cincinnati Bengals +700
Buffalo Bills +700
Houston Texans +850
New York Jets +1100
Miami Dolphins +1100
Los Angeles Chargers +1700
Jacksonville Jaguars +2000

Odds to Win the NFC

(odds via DraftKings)

TEAM ODDS
San Francisco 49ers +250
Detroit Lions +550
Philadelphia Eagles +700
Dallas Cowboys +700
Green Bay Packers +800
Atlanta Falcons +1100
Chicago Bears +1400
Los Angeles Rams +1600
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3500

Best Bet to Win the AFC in 2024-25 

New York Jets (+1100)

For starters, we understand that a wager on the Jets to win the AFC is merely a value play, as the +1100 odds are too good to pass up. So why are we not more keen on the Chiefs’ +300 odds? Because of the previous eight teams to repeat as Super Bowl champions, none reached the Super Bowl in their quest for a third consecutive time.

The Jets managed to win seven games in 2023 despite getting less than a quarter of playing time out of Aaron Rodgers. New York has clearly been in “win now” mode ever since acquiring Rodgers and not thinking too much about the future, and the front office surrounded him with a lot of talent once again this off-season.

The Jets allowed 64 sacks in 2023 (t-28th), and ranked 30th in Pass Block Win Rate (50%). But how much of that was on Zach Wilson, who looked indecisive and overmatched for much of his Jets career? Either way, the team did not want to risk another Week 1 injury to Rodgers, and fortified the offensive line with three new projected (Tyron Smith, John Simpson and Morgan Moses), not to mention getting back Alijah Vera-Tucker from injury and using the No. 11 pick in the draft on left tackle Olu Fashanu.

The fact that New York didn’t use that pick on tight end Brock Bowers likely means that they are comfortable with their skill position group after acquiring wide receiver Mike Williams, whose 15.9 yards per reception are the most of the past five seasons (min. 175 receptions). And coupled with -hopefully - a full season from Rodgers, an already scary Jets defense got better after trading for Haason Reddick (his 50.5 sacks are the fourth-most in the NFL the past four seasons) and signing Javon Kinlaw (had career-highs with 12 quarterback pressures and 3.5 sacks in 2023).

Best Bet to Win the NFC in 2024-25 

Detroit Lions (+550)

We are once again passing over the odds-on favorite to win their respective conference, as the 49ers have the unenvious task of trying to get back to the Super Bowl just one year after losing in the big game. The Patriots (in 2018 and 2019) are the only team in the past 30 years to get back to the Super Bowl the year after losing it, so only getting +250 odds for the 49ers to buck that trend hardly seems worth it.

Detroit was one second-half collapse away from reaching the Super Bowl this past season, but instead, the 49ers came back from a 24-7 halftime deficit in the NFC Championship to complete the third-largest comeback in championship game history. It has arguably the most impressive backfield in the league, as David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs were the first running back duo in NFL history to total 1,000 or more scrimmage yards and 10 or more touchdowns each.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson tested the market for a head coaching vacancy, but his return to the team is massive considering what the unit has been able to accomplish recently. In the past two seasons under Johnson, the Lions rank first in yards per game (393.2), third in points per game (27.8), third in yards per play (5.9), and fifth in Total QBR (63). 

Detroit will certainly have competition within its own division from improved Packers and Bears teams, but we love how the Lions addressed their biggest weakness, after the defense allowed the second-most yards per pass attempt and the third-most passing yards to wide receivers this past season. The trade for Carlton Davis, signing Amik Robertson, Emmanuel Moseley, and Kindle Vildor as well as drafting Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. with their first two draft picks should strengthen the secondary considerably, and should be the thing that gets the Lions over the hurdle this year.

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Thursday:

Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.

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