The NCAA Football season is over and the National Football League season has entered the postseason, leaving 14 teams competing to win Super Bowl LVIII.
Several NFL teams have parted ways with their coaches and one of the top college football coaches announced a shocking retirement. Here's a look at the betting odds for several coaching markets.
What Happened: On Thursday, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick announced he was parting ways with the team after 24 years and six Super Bowl championships.
In his time with the Patriots, Belichick had nine conference championships, 17 division crowns, 30 playoff victories and a winning record in 19 consecutive seasons from 2001 to 2019.
Belichick has 333 total coaching victories, which ranks second in NFL history. Belichick's 31 postseason wins in his NFL career rank first in league history.
The Patriots have struggled in recent years, perhaps due to the retirement of legendary quarterback Tom Brady, who was a staple during the Patriots championship years. The Patriots went 4-13 in the 2023 season and were 8-9 in the 2022 NFL season.
NCAA Football legendary coach Nick Saban announced his retirement Wednesday after 17 seasons spent with the University of Alabama football team. Throughout his career, Saban was also a head football coach at Toledo, Michigan State and Louisiana State University (LSU). Saban also was a head coach in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins in 2005 and 2006.
Saban won seven national titles in his 28 head coaching seasons, with one at LSU and six at Alabama. Saban's seven national championships are the most in the modern era.
Saban had a 297-71-1 college football coaching record, including a 206-29 record at Alabama.
The announcements from Belichick and Saban add to the numerous head coaching vacancies in the NFL and college football.
College football has several vacancies, but Alabama will now be the key one to watch. There is a chance that several head coaches in college football make the leap to the NFL leaving additional vacancies. Fresh off an NCAA Football Championship, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is rumored to be exploring a move back to the NFL, where he coached the San Francisco 49ers for four seasons.
Betting Odds: NFL teams that have head coaching vacancies include the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders.
Belichick will be a high-priority target by teams given his NFL experience and history. On Thursday, his odds were rapidly changing between not coaching an NFL team and the Atlanta Falcons being the favorite for the 2024 season.
Here's a look at the current odds for Belichick's head coaching role in 2024 from DraftKings Inc DKNG:
No NFL Team: +150
Atlanta Falcons: +200
Los Angeles Chargers: +650
Other NFL Team Not Listed: +800
Washington Commanders: +1,000
Tennessee Titans: +1,000
Carolina Panthers: +2,000
New York Giants: +2,500
New Orleans Saints: +3,000
New York Jets: +5,000
The odds for Harbaugh's next head coaching role are also available with him staying at Michigan the current favorite:
No NFL Team: +175
Los Angeles Chargers: +250
Washington Commanders: +700
Las Vegas Raiders: +800
Other NFL Team: +800
New England Patriots: +1,000
Atlanta Falcons: +1,000
Carolina Panthers: +1,500
Chicago Bears: +2,200
New York Giants: +3,000
New Orleans Saints: +3,000
Tennessee Titans: +3,500
New York Jets: +8,000
While it's not the likely outcome or the betting favorite, there is a chance the Patriots replace the legendary Belichick with another legend, Harbaugh, who had success at the college level coming off a recent NCAA Championship and he previously made it to a Super Bowl with the 49ers.
Betting $100 on Harbaugh to be the Patriots’ next head coach would pay out a profit of $1,000 in the unlikely outcome it happens.
Less sportsbooks have betting available on who will follow Saban's footsteps at Alabama. Current betting odds from Sportsline show the following favorites:
Dan Lanning (Oregon): +250
Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss): +400
James Franklin (Penn State): +500
Dabo Swinney (Clemson): +600
Steve Sarkisian (Texas): +900
Mike Norvell (Florida State): +1,000
Lanning appeared to brush off the rumors sharing a video that showed the phrase "If you're scared your coach is leaving, then come play for us."
In the video, Lanning said "I want to be here in Eugene (Oregon) for as long as Eugene will have me."
The video concluded with the words "And I'm not leaving" on the screen.
Photo: Jim Harbaugh, Photo Maize & Blue Nation via Flicker Creative Commons; Bill Belichick, Photo Alexander Jonesi via Flickr Creative Commons
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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