If there’s one thing that recent events have shown us, it’s that you can pretty much bet on just about anything these days. Whether it’s the name of the William and Kate’s royal baby or the identity of the next pope, relevant news items can be turned into fun prop bets that offers folks a chance to cash in on some long shot odds.
By the way, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now known as Pope Francis, was a 33/1 long-shot to be elected pope. Those who backed him are probably still singing to the high heavens, huh?
Now that we have a new pope, Las Vegas books are turning to a new prop offering, one that NFL (and video game) fans will undoubtedly have a huge say on: who’s going to be on the cover of Madden NFL 25.
For those not familiar with Madden NFL video games, it’s the quintessential video game of the NFL. Has been for the past 25 years. To be on the cover of Madden is a pretty big deal for NFL players, probably second only to winning a Super Bowl. And to fans of the video game, it’s a chance to see their favorite players be called the Madden Cover Boy, “Madden Curse” notwithstanding.
This year, Madden developer Electronic Arts is taking a different approach on how fans can vote for the Madden cover. 64 players are in the running, except that only 32 of them are currently active. The other half is made up of retired “old school” players, including Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, and Deion Sanders.
With a new curveball being thrown into the mix, oddsmakers at Bovada Sportsbook jumped at the opportunity to formulate odds on who will be on the cover of Madden NFL 25.
Surprisingly, three of the favorites are from the “Old School” bracket. Montana and Sanders lead the way, each getting 5/1 odds, followed by Jerry Rice at 15/2. The “favorite” from the “New School” group is Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, who is at 8/1. At his heels is reigning NFL MVP Adrian Peterson at 9/1.
From there, the rest of the field includes a pair of 12/1 dark horses in 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick and recently retired Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has been penciled in at 16/1 with Deion Sanders and Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz at 18/1.
A number of 20/1 long shots offer some serious consideration, including Colts QB Andrew Luck, Texans tailback Arian Foster, and Seahawks QB Russell Wilson.
Finally, five players received 25/1 odds, including Dan Marino, Marshall Faulk, Randall Cunningham, Bengals wideout A.J. Green, and Ravens tailback Ray Rice.
Kurt Warner, Troy Aikman, Michael Strahan, and Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant round out the selections, all at 30/1 odds.
