NFL Bettors Are Throwing Their Money Down the Toilet With NY Jets Wagers

Last year, the Cincinatti Bengals opened with 100/1 odds to win the Super Bowl following a season that saw the longtime losers limp to a 4-11-1 record after a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Joe Burrow.

With Burrow back in the fold to start last season and his college teammate Ja’Marr Chase on the roster after being drafted in the first round, the Bengals were able exceed expectations by leaps and bounds and made it to the NFL season’s final weekend before ultimately falling in Super Bowl LVI to the Rams 23–20.

Though bettors who took the Bengals at 100/1 weren’t ultimately able to cash their tickets, Cincy’s magical run seems to have inspired some gamblers to bet big on longshots to win Super Bowl LVII, most notably the New York Jets.

Following the release of NFL futures odds at Caesars Sportsbook, one Gang Green backer put down $5,000 greenbacks on the Jets to win their first championship since Joe Namath was playing quarterback. A 200/1 bet, that wager comes with potential winnings of $1 million. It hasn’t just been that New York bettor who has been supporting the Jets as they rank third in Super Bowl tickets behind only the Bengals (+1200) and Rams (+1000) at Caesars.

Caesars isn’t the only book to take big bets on the Jets as PointsBet took a $1,000 bet on the Jets to win the Super Bowl at 200-1 in April from a customer in Pennsylvania and DraftKings, BetMGM and WynnBET have all taken $500 Super Bowl bets on the Jets this offseason, according to ESPN. In fact, as of last week, the Jets are the largest Super Bowl liability at FanDuel, Caesars and The Borgata in Atlantic City.

“I’m not too concerned about the Jets,” as Borgata sportsbook director Tom Gable (who talks to InsideHook on a weekly basis for “Best Bets” during the NFL season) told ESPN. He probably shouldn’t be as the Jets have a 22-59 record over the past five seasons and have failed to reach the postseason in 11 consecutive seasons, the longest active playoff drought in the NFL. Playing in the AFC East with the powerhouse Buffalo Bills (sounds weird to say), revamped Miami Dolphins and pesky New England Patriots, all whom finished above .500 last season, that drought seems destined to continue.

“Yeah, I’ve got money on the Jets. I put money every year on the Jets to win the Super Bowl,” Kenny Scarabaggio, a 40-year Jets season-ticket holder who bet $200 on the Jets to win the Super Bowl, told ESPN. “It’s always a good return. One day, it’s going to pay off and I’ll be even.”

Maybe one day, but it ain’t gonna be next year at Super Bowl LVII.