It's been a long time since the New England Patriots faced Super Bowl odds this bad
By Matt Conner
Believe it or not, for what felt like the longest time, the New England Patriots were once about as irrelevant as a franchise could get in the National Football League.
This is, of course, way before Tom Brady became the GOAT, Bill Belichick exhibited his genius, or the Pats in general became the greatest dynasty in the history of the league. It's even before Drew Bledsoe put the Patriots in a competitive spot week after week. But it still happened.
As it turns out, Las Vegas oddsmakers have the Patriots trending back to those days once again.
The New England Patriots haven't felt this irrelevant in a very long time.
The latest round of odds for making Super Bowl 59 are out and the Pats are sitting among the second-worst tier of teams overall (at +15000). They're tied with the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Commanders. As it turns out, teams that are going with new head coaches aren't expected to win all too often.
A single bet on any of those teams would pay out 150x the initial amount, which is a great way to make money if it can hit. But there's a reason oddsmakers offer such ludicrous returns. Of course, if you really want to strike it rich, put your money on the Carolina Panthers, who are offering 250x—the longest odds in the league.
No one knows whether the Patriots will remain irrelevant and match the sort of streak that marked its first couple of decades of existence—with three playoff appearances in 22 years—or whether new head coach Jerod Mayo can bring them back to respectability sooner than later. But for this year, oddsmakers have them headed for a long, long year in 2024.