Rob Gronkowski engineered a trade to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, giving a jolt to the team’s Super Bowl odds as well as its odds to win the NFC Championship, as the gregarious tight end reunited with quarterback Tom Brady.
The news broke late Tuesday afternoon after the New England Patriots agreed to the deal, following Gronk’s one-year sabbatical, and instantly drew action on Tampa Bay’s NFL betting odds. Sportsbooks across the country quickly adjusting their NFL futures for the 2020 season.
Bucs’ Super Bowl odds
BetMGM made the biggest leap on the Gronkowski trade, with the Bucs going from 16/1 to 9/1 to win the Super Bowl, which coincidentally will be played in Tampa, Florida, on February 7, 2021. Tampa Bay trails only the Chiefs (+650) and Ravens (+700), while the 49ers are also at 9/1 at BetMGM.
“That’s an added weapon, and someone who has familiarity with Brady,” MGM Resorts sportsbooks director of trading Jeff Stoneback told Covers. “He brings a lot to the team, and obviously betting interest was already up on the Bucs with Brady. It amplifies that team quite a bit. Right now, we’re only open on the mobile app in Nevada. If the books were open for business as normal, I’m sure we’d have a flood of money the next couple weeks, and even up until the season starts.”
Even with limited capability, though, oddsmakers had the Bucs on the move. Jeff Davis, director of trading for Caesars sportsbooks, initially held Tampa Bay at 17/1 to win the Super Bowl, but quickly shifted to 14/1.
“I was going to leave Super Bowl at 17/1, but we took a bet on it almost immediately,” Davis said.
The Chiefs are the No. 1 choice at Caesars, with 4/1 odds to repeat as champions, followed by the 49ers (7/1), Ravens (8/1) and Cowboys (11/1). The Saints and Seahawks joined the Bucs at 14/1.
Buccaneers’ Super Bowl Odds Moves
| Sportsbook | Pre-Gronkowski Trade Odds | Post-Gronkowski Trade Odds |
| BetMGM | 16/1 | 9/1 |
| Caesars | 17/1 | 14/1 |
| Circa Sports | 15/1 | 11/1 |
| DraftKings | 14/1 | 12/1 |
| PointsBet USA | 16/1 | 14/1 |
| FanDuel | 17/1 | 12/1 |
NFC Championship Odds
Caesars books were a quick mover here, as well, but with a modest shift on the Buccaneers from 8/1 to 7/1 to win the NFC title. As with Super Bowl odds, BetMGM made a stronger move on Tampa Bay’s NFC championship odds, from 8/1 to +475.
Once the shutdown lifts and sportsbooks return to full operations – retail and mobile – Stoneback expects the Bucs to continue garnering plenty of public betting interest. In fact, he drew a parallel to the NFL’s previous public flavor of the day.
“This kind of compares to the scenario last year with the Cleveland Browns,” he said. “They picked up Odell Beckham Jr., Baker Mayfield was going into his second year, and the Browns were a team that everybody was excited about.”
While the Browns fizzled, though, going 6-10 SU and 5-10-1 ATS, Stoneback believes there’ll be a lot more bang with the Bucs.
“Brady-Gronkowski is a proven combination. They have that history between them, and you know they can click,” Stoneback said, alluding to the 90 touchdown passes Brady threw to Gronk over nine seasons in New England. “From this point on, I’d be shocked if the Buccaneers weren’t No. 1 in most tickets written to win the Super Bowl and the NFC.”
Buccaneers’ NFC Championship Odds Moves
| Sportsbook | Pre-Gronkowski Trade Odds | Post-Gronkowski Trade Odds |
| BetMGM | 8/1 | +475 |
| Caesars | 8/1 | 7/1 |
| Circa Sports | 7/1 | 5/1 |
| DraftKings | +750 | +650 |
