CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns are one of only four teams to have never played in a Super Bowl, and with another offseason of changes to the coaching staff and the front office in an effort to gain synergy throughout the franchise, the odds are not in their favor to appear in the NFL’s annual championship game next year.
According to VegasInsider.com, coach Kevin Stefanski, general manager Andrew Berry, quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Browns have been given 30/1 odds to win Super Bowl LV, which will be played at Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, February 7, 2021.
The Browns are middle of the pack in the odds, as the 30/1 mark ranks as the 15th-best chances of winning Super Bowl LV.
Currently, the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs have the best odds to win next year’s big game (7/1), while the Baltimore Ravens (8/1), reigning NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers (8/1), New Orleans Saints (10/1) and New England Patriots (12/1) round out the top five.
Although the Browns have long odds to win the Super Bowl, they have the fifth-best chances of winning the AFC Championship following the 2020 regular season. The Browns are 15/1 to win next year’s AFC Championship Game.
Although the Browns have no shortage of talent on their roster, there is reason for the reserved optimism in sports books.
Since Dee and Jimmy Haslam purchased a controlling stake in the organization, the Browns have posted a 32-88-1 record with no more than seven victories in a single season (2014, 2018), five double-digit loss totals and five last-place finishes in the AFC North Division.
The Browns have not had a winning season in 12 years and extended the NFL’s longest active playoff drought to 17 straight seasons with a 6-10 finish to 2019.
After Rob Chudzinski (2013), Mike Pettine (2014-2015), Hue Jackson (2016-2018) and Freddie Kitchens (2019), Stefanski is the fifth full-time head coach hired by the Haslams. Berry is the Browns’ fifth general manager hired by the Browns since the Haslam purchase was approved at an NFL Owners’ Meeting in Chicago in October of 2012.