Up to NFL Betting Trends

posted July 15, 2008 at 18:53 in NFL Betting Trends

Brett Favre betting is here to muck things up again.

The three-time NFL MVP now wants to come back and play, except the Green Bay Packers don't seem to want him to be the starter. Now he wants to be released, so he can go and play for another team, preferably a contender, although he told Greta Van Susteren (who by the way is a Packer shareholder) of Fox News on Monday night that he "can't envision being anywhere else." Of course, you can wager on this at BetUS. Here are some of the numbers:

What will Brett Favre do next?

BetUS NFL Football Proposition Odds

Favre to start a game for the Packers in 08/09 Regular Season

Yes 10/11

No 10/11

Which team is Favre most likely to play for if he returns?

Arizona Cardinals 100/1

Atlanta Falcons 50/1

Baltimore Ravens 40/1

Buffalo Bills 250/1

Carolina Panthers 250/1

Cincinnati Bengals 400/1

Chicago Bears 2/1

Cleveland Browns 250/1

Dallas Cowboys 500/1

Denver Broncos 250/1

Detroit Lions 40/1

Houston Texans 150/1

Indianapolis Colts 750/1

Green Bay Packers 1/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 300/1

Kansas City Chiefs 50/1

Miami Dolphins 7/1

Minnesota Vikings 2/1

New Orleans Saints 200/1

New England Patriots 750/1

New York Giants 250/1

New York Jets 150/1

Oakland Raiders 50/1

Philadelphia Eagles 400/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 300/1

San Francisco 49ers 50/1

San Diego Chargers 250/1

Seattle Seahawks 300/1

Saint Louis Rams 250/1

Tampa Bay Bucs 20/1

Tennessee Titans 200/1

Washington Redskins 100/1

Apparently Favre is upset because when he told the team he was ready to come back and play, they told him they were "ready to move on." They were prepared to go ahead with giving Aaron Rodgers a chance to be the starter, with Brian Brohm working his way into the system if Rodgers proved to be incapable. Bringing Favre back sets those young QB's back another year, and Rodgers will be out of Green Bay before he even has the chance to be the starter.

With Favre, the team could once again on the brink of winning the wide-open NFC. Without him, they are likely facing some rebuilding. Favre, who has obviously missed mini-camp and other organized team drills, says he is not bothered by the team "moving on," and all he wants is to hear that they don't want him in Green Bay. A lot of the Van Susteren interview involved double-talk, because Favre doesn't even sound sure of what he wants. Indeed, according to Packer general manager Ted Thompson, Favre wanted to un-retire a few weeks after retiring, then came up to Green Bay and changed his mind yet again. Who can blame an NFL team for wanting to just keep going forward?

He will probably not report if all he can be is a backup quarterback. That means the Packers can either keep him and let him compete for the starting job, trade him, or release him. The trade option is one in which the team would be limited, since Favre would probably not agree to go somewhere other than a place of his own choosing. And he reportedly refused to give the Packers a list of teams he would be willing to go to. The last option doesn't seem likely in the least, since the team would not get anything in return, and he could wind up with another team in the division, perhaps the Bears or Vikings, both of whom could really use a quarterback.

Since I don't see that scenario happening, I would say that Chicago and Minnesota, both 2/1 in the BetUS odds, are not serious contenders here. It is kind of selfish for Favre to be undertaking this particular course of action, and it is simply unreasonable for him to try and use a retirement in order to gain what would, in effect, be free agency. What could they get for him in a trade? Likely not much, since it would take exactly the right team who would give up anything of value for the chance to put a last piece of the puzzle in place. Minnesota certainly fits there, but we've covered that already. Miami could trade Jason Taylor for him, but why would Favre go there?

He will kill Green Bay on the salary cap now, so the best alternative for the team may be to actually let him come into camp and compete for the starting job. Of course, he will win the job, unless they were simply looking to stack the deck against him. There is no question in my mind that Favre would retire once again if he were not named the starting quarterback for the season opener. So, as far as I'm concerned, the most solid play is to go EVEN MONEY (with the Packers) in the field of teams Favre could play for when he returns, and lay 11/10 that he will start a game for Green Bay in the 2008 season.

The 2008 NFL betting season is around the corner! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The BetUS sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join BetUS today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

(Charles Jay of www.ebookies.com is a member of the NFL too - that is, "not for long" if you don't get results. He is now a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)