2024 NFL championship futures ahead of Week 1

It's the final countdown to the 2024 NFL season, with about 24 hours until the Baltimore Ravens visit the two-time reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football for the regular-season kickoff.

The Chiefs currently sit atop the NFL futures odds board at +500 to win a third consecutive championship, a feat no team has accomplished in the Super Bowl era. The Green Bay Packers celebrated a three-peat when they won an NFL title three years in a row from 1929-1931, and they did so again from 1965-1967, which included Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II in the latter two seasons. 

The Chiefs retained most of their core offense, including two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes, the favorite to receive this season's MVP award, star tight end Travis Kelce, running back Isiah Pacheco, and second-year wideout Rashee Rice. K.C. also bolstered their receiving corps with the addition of rookie Xavier Worthy and veteran receiver Marquise Brown, who signed a one-year contract with the Chiefs. Brown sustained a shoulder injury during the first week of the preseason and will miss Week 1 but should return to play shortly after.

49ers set on Super Bowl revenge

The runner-up of last year's Super Bowl, San Francisco is the second choice on the NFL futures odds board at +600 and will attempt to run it back to a fourth straight NFC Championship Game in 2024.

Receiver Brandon Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million contract with the 49ers after fielding trade opportunities and will rejoin running back Christian McCaffrey, receiver Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle, and quarterback Brock Purdy. San Francisco is also finalizing a new deal with 11-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Trent Williams.

The Niners' win total is set at 11.5 ahead of the season, and they drew a fairly manageable schedule. Their season opener is a home matchup with the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, Sept. 9, when they go head to head with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who took just four offensive snaps last season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 1.

Ravens, Lions expected to contend again

The Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions, losers of last year's AFC Championship Game and NFC Championship Game, respectively, are next on the odds board, with the Ravens listed at +1000 and the Lions at +1200. Baltimore signed two-time NFL rushing yards and rushing touchdowns leader Derrick Henry to a two-year, $16 million contract in the offseason, plus they added veteran receiver Nelson Agholor and rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten, a second-round draft pick from Washington.

The Lions focused on defense in the offseason, adding defensive tackle DJ Reader, cornerback Amik Robertson, and cornerback Carlton Davis, who arrived in Detroit along with two future sixth-round draft picks in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Cincinnati Bengals, who finished 9-8 last season and missed the playoffs with quarterback Joe Burrow sidelined after Week 11, will look to rebound in 2024 and own the fifth-best Super Bowl odds (+1300). The Bengals were afforded one of the easiest schedules in the league and bolstered the defense and offensive line in the offseason. Cincy used its first-round draft selection on offensive tackle Amarius Mims — a two-time College Football Playoff national champion with the Georgia Bulldogs — to help protect Burrow, who has been sacked 148 times since he was drafted in 2020.

The backfield will also see a new face in 2024, with former Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss set to replace Joe Mixon, who signed with the Houston Texans in the offseason.

The tables have turned in New England

One team not expected to contend for a title in 2024 is the New England Patriots, the six-time Super Bowl-winning franchise who will begin a new era under head coach Jerod Mayo in 2024. The former first-round pick by the Patriots served as the team's inside linebackers coach from 2019-2023 and will fill the shoes of longtime head coach Bill Belichick, who went 4-13 last season. 

Aside from the end of Belichick's two-decade stint at New England, the team will also begin a new chapter at quarterback following three seasons of Mac Jones running the offense. The Patriots used the 2024 No. 3 overall pick to select UNC quarterback Drake Maye, but veteran journeyman Jacoby Brissett is slated to start Week 1 and will head an offense featuring running back Rhamondre Stevenson, tight end Hunter Henry, wideout DeMario Douglas, and rookie receiver Ja'Lynn Polk.

The Over/Under for Patriots wins this season is 4.5, and New England boasts the worst odds to win the Super Bowl at +35000. The other teams bottoming out the Super Bowl odds board are the Carolina Panthers (+25000), who finished with the league's worst record in 2023 at 2-15; the Denver Broncos (+20000) in Sean Payton's second season at the helm; and the New York Giants (+20000), who went 6-11 last season and no longer have Saquon Barkley at running back.