2023 NFL season lookahead: Early Super Bowl odds, five teams to watch, five key offseason storylines

The 2022 NFL season officially ended Sunday night with the Chiefs beating the Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII. Both contenders will dominate the headlines for the foreseeable future, with Patrick Mahomes & Co. confirming themselves as nascent dynasty and Jalen Hurts just after a historic performance as the face of the Philadelphia franchise. Soon enough, however, attention will shift to the rest of the league as the 2023 offseason kicks off.

The start of next season may be a long way off — just under seven months — but who’s counting? However, it is never too early to look into the future. Here is an overview of some of the key storylines of the off-season, teams to watch in 2023 and early predictions from the bookies:

Five Key Off-Season Storylines

What’s next for Aaron Rodgers? Tom Brady has already retired, this time “for good”. Now we are waiting for another legend of the game to decide its future. The Packers’ longtime QB hasn’t indicated in any way if he will return, but if he returns, a break with Green Bay seems more likely than ever. Team reportedly open for Rogers exchangeseemingly ready to turn to former first-round pick Jordan Love, and there will be no shortage of suitors.

What will happen to Lamar Jackson? The Ravens keep saying they want Jackson to be their QB for the long term, and they still fail to actually meet QB’s contractual requirements or bring him back to the negotiating table. The franchise tag could keep him under the team’s control until 2022 if Jackson doesn’t build resistance to get him handed out. But with reports surfacing that Baltimore is open to a move for the injury-prone former MVP, suddenly a breakup is out of the question.

Which of the other elite QBs will be expanded? Four different starting QBs selected in 2020 are eligible for new deals: Joe Burrow (Bengals), Jalen Hurts (Eagles), Justin Herbert (Chargers) and Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins). Burrow can/should break the bank as arguably the most powerful player in the NFL this side of Mahomes, while Hurts – now approaching a contract year as a former second-rounder – quickly earned his own mega deal with the MVP nomination and the Super Bowl Show in pounds sterling.

Who makes QB before? QB, QB, QB, we know. But that’s the name of the game, right? Just look at the best players on the best teams in Super Bowl LVII. Assuming the Bears stick with Justin Fields, the top 10 in the 2023 NFL Draft still includes seven teams that could reasonably target the signaler: Texans (No. 2), Colts (4), Seahawks (5), Lions (6), Raiders (7), Falcons (8) and Panthers (9) can fight for three or four prospects, including Alabama’s Bryce Young.

How will Sean Payton rebuild the Broncos? Payton isn’t the only famous coach in the business; Frank Reich (Panthers) and DeMeco Ryans (Texans) are respected leaders who now run young clubs. But the former Saints coach is by far the most experienced of the new hires, and his straight-forward approach would create an exciting mix with QB Russell Wilson, who flopped under Nathaniel Hackett in 2021 and is likely in crucial territory after such events. long, untouched run in Seattle.

Five teams to watch

Early chances

Yes, Super Bowl LVII just ended. But bookies are already predicting the best of the best for the 2023 season as well as the 2024 playoffs, including Super Bowl LVIII, which will air on CBS from Paradise, Nevada.

Here are the top 10 candidates, listed in order, to win the AFC and NFC, respectively:

AFC: Chiefs, Bills, Bengals, Chargers, Jaguars, Crows, Dolphins, Jets, Raiders, Patriots

NFC: 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Lions, Giants, Rams, Packers, Vikings, Buccaneers, Saints

Odds for Super Bowl LVIII

And here are the top 10 candidates for the Lombardi Trophy next year (odds provided by Caesars Sportsbook):

1. Leaders (+550)
2. 49ers (+600)
3. Accounts (+650)
4. Eagles (+800)
5. Bengals (+900)
6. Cowboys (+1600)
7. Chargers (+2200)
8. Jaguars (+2800)
9. Lions (+3000)
10. Dolphins (+3500)