DraftKings in Illinois has odds for next year’s Super Bowl, which will be played in Glendale, Arizona on Feb. 12, 2023.
And your beloved Chicago Bears are near the bottom of the list of NFL teams.
The Bears have already had an eventful offseason, firing general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. They replaced them with, well, another Ryan and another Matt.
Ryan Poles, formerly of the Chiefs, is the new GM. Matt Eberflus, previously the Colts’ defensive coordinator, is the new head coach.
Here are the current odds for next year’s Super Bowl at DraftKings, where you can bet on the Bears.
2023 Bears Super Bowl odds
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Here are the lines. Spoiler alert: You’ll have to look pretty far down to find the Bears.
- Chiefs: +650
- Bills: +750
- Rams: +1,100
- Buccaneers: +1,200
- Bengals: +1,300
- Cowboys: +1,400
- 49ers: +1,400
- Broncos: +1,500
- Packers: +1,500
- Ravens: +1,800
- Titans: +2,000
- Patriots: +2,200
- Chargers: +2,500
- Cardinals: +2,500
- Colts: +2,800
- Saints: +3,000
- Steelers: +3,500
- Browns: +3,500
- Seahawks: +3,500
- Dolphins: +4,000
- Eagles: +4,000
- Vikings: +5,000
- Falcons: +5,000
- Panthers: +5,000
- Football Team: +5,000
- Raiders: +5,000
- Bears: +6,500
- Giants: +6,500
- Jaguars: +8,000
- Texans: +10,000
- Jets: +10,000
- Lions: +10,000
While no one is reasonably expecting the Bears to win the Super Bowl next season, it’s a bit surprising to see them this low on the list.
The Bears are going to try to win next year. They may or may not succeed, but that’s more than can be said for some NFL teams angling for higher draft picks or hoarding cap space. With Justin Fields on a rookie contract, there is an incentive to upgrade the rest of the roster right now.
It will be fascinating to see NFC North divisional odds when they come out because the Bears might hold some value there. That has as much to do with the rest of the division as it does with the state of their franchise.
The Lions are the Lions. The Vikings were a few games better than the Bears last year, but while their floor is higher, their ceiling may not be since they lack a high variance prospect like Fields.
And then there’s the Packers. If Aaron Rodgers comes back, they will easily be the favorites. If not, that would likely put them on a similar tier with the Vikings and Bears unless they acquire another accomplished quarterback.
Speaking of the Packers, the Bears hired their former QB coach, Luke Getsy, to be their new play-caller. If Getsy can help Fields make a big jump and the defense remains solid, Chicago could be better than people think in 2022.
Poles chose Chicago over Minnesota
According to multiple reports, Poles could have had the Vikings GM job if he wanted it. He chose the Bears instead.
At least in one key person’s mind, Chicago has a more attractive football situation than Minnesota.
The quarterback situation is probably the main reason why. Kirk Cousins was better than Fields in 2021, but he also makes about $24 million. It’s also hard to imagine the 33 year old improving much at this point.
Fields, 22, was bad from a statistical standpoint as a rookie. But that is true of a lot of rookie quarterbacks, and the Bears are essentially betting that Nagy’s offensive system was a major reason for the struggles.
So in a weird way, if Nagy was a significant negative influence, that could mean the Bears hold upside in 2022.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen was bad as a rookie, and he made a big leap in his second year under new coaches. Fields has a very long way to go to be mentioned in the same breath as Allen, but his talent jumps off the screen even if his production hasn’t yet.
The Bears could very well struggle in 2022. But if nothing else, new leadership presents hope for a fanbase that is starving for some.
Chicago fans are counting down the days until training camp.
