By Now that the draft is complete, the 2022 NFL regular season is right around the corner.
Offshore sportsbooks BetOnline and Bovada have both released props regarding upcoming rookie quarterbacks and several other signal callers whose futures are uncertain. Baker Mayfield is one of those players, as he remains with Cleveland after the Panthers and Browns failed to complete a deal on splitting his $18.8 million base salary.
Mayfield’s potential landing spots appear to be drying up after multiple teams drafted quarterbacks last week. Seattle has appeared to be the most likely option, but the Seahawks have not indicated any interest in acquiring him.
Carolina drafted former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral, which makes it seem unlikely that the Panthers would also acquire Mayfield. Regardless, Cleveland has already put all its eggs in the Deshaun Watson basket.
With other options seemingly drying up, Bovada has Cleveland as the -220 favorite to be Mayfield’s team for Game 1 of the upcoming NFL season. Carolina is priced at +275, while Seattle follows at +290. The only other team priced inside of 15/1 is Houston, which is listed at +650.
Corral is expected to play right away this season. He is priced as a -150 favorite to start more games than rookies Desmond Ridder (+140), Malik Willis (+300) and Sam Howell (+600), according to BetOnline.
The Panthers traded back into the third round to snag Corral, who will be competing with Sam Darnold for the starting gig. Darnold’s recent struggles are well documented, so there should be an opportunity for Corral this year.
Ridder, who was also a third-round selection, has a chance to earn playing time for Atlanta this year. The Falcons signed Marcus Mariota in the offseason, so he will likely begin the year as the starter.
Willis is priced at +300, but it is unlikely that he starts a game for Tennessee this year. Ryan Tannehill is going to be the Titans’ starting quarterback barring an injury or a complete collapse, particularly with his contract numbers.
Howell slipped to the fifth round of the draft after a disappointing finish to his collegiate career. He is likely going to be competing with Taylor Heinicke for the backup role in Washington, so there is no value at his 6-1 odds for this prop. Corral certainly appears to be the value play at -150, but Ridder is not a terrible option at +140.
BetOnline also posted a prop for two other quarterbacks going head-to-head for more games started this season. Pittsburgh drafted Kenny Pickett at No. 20 overall last week, giving Mitch Trubisky some immediate competition in camp after the Steelers gave him a two-year contract at the start of free agency.
Pittsburgh had not drafted a quarterback in the first round since the 2004 draft, when it selected franchise signal caller Ben Roethlisberger. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Pickett “certainly has a chance” to be the starter in Week 1.
BetOnline is expecting Pickett to beat out Trubisky at some point early in the year, pricing the rookie at -200 to start more games this season. Pickett was the only quarterback selected in the first two rounds at his position.
“One of the things that was very evident about Kenny being next door is he’s just a ridiculous competitor,” Tomlin said. “We’re just excited about putting him in the mix and watching him compete against Mitch and Mason (Rudolph) and seeing where that leads us.”
The final prop regarding quarterbacks involves Jimmy Garoppolo, who Bovada has priced at -240 to play Week 1 of the season with San Francisco. The 49ers seemed set on trading him in the offseason, but a surgery on his throwing shoulder two months ago has complicated things.
“I felt we were close in some discussions, and then the decision was made to have surgery and it brought things to a screeching halt,” San Francisco general manager John Lynch told KNBR radio on Monday. “We either want to have Jimmy playing for us, which we’re alright with, or we want him to get the value.”
San Francisco traded up to draft Trey Lance with the third overall pick in 2021. He is expected to take over as the starter this season after Garoppolo started 15 of 17 games last season.
Carolina has the second-shortest odds (+275) to have Jimmy G on its roster in Week 1, while Seattle is +350 and Houston is +600. One thing is certain: there is quarterback uncertainty within multiple organizations (Panthers, Seahawks, Texans).
