CLEVELAND — Deshaun Watson learned his football fate on Thursday, as the NFL and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) reached a settlement on an 11-game suspension and $5 million fine for the Cleveland Browns quarterback.
As one might expect, the news that Watson will be missing all but six games of the 2022 NFL regular season following his violations of the league's Personal Conduct Policy had a significant impact on the Browns' betting odds, with sportsbooks downgrading Cleveland's outlook for the upcoming campaign.
According to Sportsbetting.ag, the Browns' odds of winning the Super Bowl this coming season dropped from 25-1 to 45-1 following the news of Watson's suspension. Meanwhile, Cleveland's odds of winning the AFC title dropped from 11-1 to 20-1, with its odds of winning the AFC North division slipping from +275 to +475.
With the change in lines, the Browns now possess the third-best odds of winning the AFC North, trailing the Baltimore Ravens (+130) and Cincinnati Bengals (+165) while still ranking ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers (+850). As for how Cleveland stacks up when it comes to AFC Championship and Super Bowl odds, take a look:
AFC Championship
- Buffalo Bills +350
- Kansas City Chiefs +600
- Los Angeles Chargers +650
- Baltimore Ravens +850
- Cincinnati Bengals +850
- Denver Broncos +1200
- Indianapolis Colts +1200
- Las Vegas Raiders +1800
- Cleveland Browns +2000
- Miami Dolphins +2000
- Tennessee Titans +2000
- New England Patriots +2800
- New York Jets +4500
- Pittsburgh Steelers +4500
- Jacksonville Jaguars +6600
- Houston Texans +15000
Super Bowl LVII
- Buffalo Bills +600
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +900
- Kansas City Chiefs +1100
- Los Angeles Chargers +1100
- Los Angeles Rams +1100
- Green Bay Packers +1200
- Baltimore Ravens +1600
- Cincinnati Bengals +1600
- San Francisco 49ers +1600
- Philadelphia Eagles +2000
- Dallas Cowboys +2200
- Denver Broncos +2200
- Indianapolis Colts +2200
- Las Vegas Raiders +3300
- Minnesota Vikings +3300
- Arizona Cardinals +4000
- Miami Dolphins +4000
- New Orleans Saints +4000
- Tennessee Titans +4000
- Cleveland Browns +4500
- New England Patriots +5000
- Pittsburgh Steelers +8000
- Washington Commanders +8000
- New York Jets +10000
- Carolina Panthers +12500
- Detroit Lions +12500
- Jacksonville Jaguars +12500
- New York Giants +12500
- Chicago Bears +15000
- Seattle Seahawks +15000
- Atlanta Falcons +25000
- Houston Texans +30000