The NFL Draft couldn’t have gone any better for the Chicago Bears. Ohio State’s Justin Fields fell outside of the top-10 picks, which allowed the Bears to trade up and acquire their franchise quarterback.
Illinois sports betting sites agreed with the move and have since shifted the odds for the Bears to win the NFC and the Super Bowl post-draft. Let's take a look at where the futures lines are at for the Bears during the 2021 season.
Bears Super Bowl Odds
Before the draft, the Bears’ odds to win the Super Bowl at DraftKings sportsbook were +6000. But after drafting Fields and Oklahoma State offensive tackle Teven Jenkins in Round 2, those odds have improved to +5000. There are still nine teams in the NFC with better Super Bowl odds, but the Bears are now a fun sleeper bet, as they have a fantastic defense and a young, exciting franchise quarterback. As the offseason goes and training camp inches closer, it wouldn’t be a surprise if that line continued to creep up some with the Justin Fields buzz, making it more enticing to bet on them.
The Bears also have seen their NFC North division odds get significantly better. On the Wednesday before the draft, they were +650 to win the North. But since then, they've moved to +350 at BetRivers. While the addition of Fields certainly impacted those NFL betting odds, the Aaron Rodgers uncertainty with the Packers has also made a difference.
Bears Win Total Odds
While the Super Bowl odds shifted considerably for the Bears after the draft, the win total hasn't moved as much. On April 28, one day before the 2021 NFL Draft, the win total at PointsBet sportsbook for the Bears sat at 7. They are now at 7.5.
The biggest concern oddsmakers might have right now for the Bears is how long will Fields have to wait before becoming the starter? Chicago signed Andy Dalton in the offseason to a lucrative one-year contract and it's possible the team might want to give Fields plenty of time to learn the offense. However, don't be surprised if this win total moves up to 8 or 8.5 once Fields is named the starter, if that happens in training camp or early on during the regular season.
Bears To Make The Playoff Odds
Chicago has made the playoffs in two of the last three years, but their odds to make the playoffs in 2021 are still relatively low. The addition of Fields has changed that as they were a +220 to make the playoffs pre-draft. Now, that line has shifted to +163, with "NO" being at -200.
With seven teams now making the playoffs in each conference, teams likely only need 10 wins (in a 17-game season) to make the playoffs. Can the Bears get to double-digit wins with a rookie quarterback and an elite defense? That doesn't seem impossible. Former starter Mitchell Trubisky accomplished that feat in 2018 and 2020. Oddsmakers are a little cautious but significantly more excited about this team after their 2021 draft class.
