NFL Futures Bets: 2026 Division Winners
NFL Futures Bets: 2026 Division Winners
By: Andrew Ferguson
We’re in a fun part of the NFL offseason where we will do anything to pass the time. The NFL Draft only holds our attention for a few days but once that weekend comes and goes, so do our hopes for any sign of life for football for quite some time. Well every year, I do post draft predictions on each division. And let’s just say, I believe a lot is going to change. Year over year, the average difference in division winners is 4. There are only 8 divisions in the NFL so a lot changes, teams underperform and others come out of nowhere. Who honestly had Sam Darnold and the Seahawks winning the NFC West last year as the number 1 seed and winning the Super Bowl? I know one guy for The Banner Show that probably did but that’s about it. Well I’m choosing 4 for new division winners this year. So who are they?
AFC East: Buffalo Bills
Shocker of a pick. But honestly, there are a ton of expectations on Drake Maye and the Patriots to run it back after a Super Bowl appearance. I have other thoughts. Before 2025, the Bills won 5 straight AFC East titles with Josh Allen. They were heavily favored going into the season but a couple of bad losses allowed the Patriots and their Teletubbies schedule to sneak in and win the division. I’ve already written a blog as to why I’m not big on the Patriots, so we’ll talk about all of the reasons the Bills will be able to take back over. Number 1. Josh Allen. This guy is going to be playing angry football in 2026, I have a feeling. Watching Drake Maye trot into a Super Bowl before Allen has even been to one will do dangerous things to a man. I also think this roster is constructed better than the Patriots. The Bills must also think that because they traded back 3 times in the first round and finally made a selection in the 2nd. They then used 7 of their 10 picks on defense and offensive linemen. That’s how you beef up your depth specifically to Josh Allen’s strengths. The big move of the offseason was bringing in a true number 1 WR for Allen with D.J. Moore from the Bears. Moore will fill a huge playmaking hole this offense is missing. The run game with Cook will still cook and I expect other RBs to get more involved this year. Joe Brady will continue to call the plays as he’s now replaced Sean McDermott as head coach. I really don’t think you’ll see any hiccups with the coaching changes. I think everyone can also agree the Dolphins and Jets don’t even need to be mentioned in this conversation. The Bills are one of those teams I think is a bad idea to bet against in any game all season and have a chance to earn the number 1 overall seed in the AFC.
2nd Place Prediction: New England Patriots
Futures Bills Division Winner Odds: -125
Future Patriots Division Winner Odds: +125
AFC North: Baltimore Ravens
This is another one that doesn’t come as a big surprise to people. I think more people were shocked that they didn’t make the playoffs entirely in 2025. But looking ahead into this year, Baltimore is the most rounded out, balanced team in this division and a new coaching change might be just what they needed. Jesse Minter comes in to bring new life to a team that’s known for strong defenses. Let Lamar do his thing on offense and the defense will shut teams down this year. This division has a 3 headed monster that many feel could go either way. I still don’t see the Bengals winning the division, but can see them as a wild card team. Joe Burrow has to stay healthy. If not, the wheels will fall off once again. I’m also not sold on his protection and the defense. And as Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank would say, “And for that reason, I’m out.” The Bengals also seem to mismanage some of their contract situations and saw Trey Hendrickson go right across the street to their rival with the Ravens. A decision I have a feeling they will regret. I don’t see the Steelers pulling off another season where they slide into the division lead and make the playoffs. Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy? Maybe I’d have more faith 15 years ago with this duo. But, Pittsburgh always plays tough and gets to .500 so they should at least make the battle of this division interesting and tough. Browns? sorry maybe another time.
2nd Place Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals
Futures Ravens Division Winner Odds: -115
Future Bengals Division Winner Odds: +185
Future Steelers Division Winner Odds: +550
AFC West: Los Angeles Chargers
My third straight AFC division that I feel will have a new winner. This could easily be the toughest division in football and I say that believing the Raiders won’t be a walk in the park anymore. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll still finish last in the division but they might surprise a few people. The Chargers have every ingredient for this run. A franchise QB in Justin Herbert, a solid run game, a good WR corps, a top tier O-line (when healthy), star players on defense, a championship experienced head coach, and a weird little offensive coordinator in Mike McDaniel. If they can’t get the job done this year, I don’t know when or if it will happen. I really like what the Broncos are doing on defense but I’m still not the biggest believer in Bo Nix. And what’s up with that leg? And what are we going to see out of the Chiefs this year? Was 2025 a fluke? Even before the Mahomes injury their season was arguably over already when he got hurt and now there are questions if he’ll be ready for week 1. The Chiefs definitely have some holes in their roster so if their play resembles anything like last year, they could struggle yet again. I do feel a healthy Mahomes gets them into the playoffs though.
2nd Place Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs
Future Chargers Division Winner Odds: +180
Future Chiefs Division Winner Odds: +180
Future Broncos Division Winner Odds: +210
AFC South: Jacksonville Jaguars
I’m keeping this train rolling. I’m a big believer in the Liam Cohen/Trevor Lawrence combo. I have high expectations for Lawrence and what he’s going to do in 2026. The Jaguars finished as one of the hottest teams last year but ran into Josh Allen and the Bills. Nobody wanted that matchup, even at home. Look for them to keep the momentum and have a chance at the number 1 overall seed. However, I do not have those same opinions on C.J. Stroud. After his phenomenal rookie year, he’s been in somewhat of a slump and hasn’t put up huge numbers. In his 2 playoff games last year, he threw 5 interceptions to his 2 TDs. The Patriots ate him alive and it didn’t leave me with a lot of confidence moving forward. I really don’t see why Vegas has the Texans favored to win the division. They have one of the scariest defenses in the league, but I think the QB play will hold them back from taking the next step. The Colts looked like they were about to be one of the biggest surprises in the NFL last year but once Daniel Jones got hurt, the season was over. Is their offense going to be as explosive as it was last year? I honestly don’t think so. I think they’ll be a middle of the road team, no matter who is at QB (rumors of an Anthony Richardson comeback loom in the darkness). I do think the Titans could be a fun team to watch. It was pretty ugly last year though so it can only get better. The Ward/Tate duo can be deadly one day but in the meantime, they’ll just be out there having fun.
2nd Place Prediction: Houston Texans
Future Jaguars Division Winner Odds: +190
Future Texans Division Winner Odds: +135
Future Colts Division Winner Odds: +370
NFC West: Los Angeles Rams
At long last, my Super Bowl favorites for this year. The Rams are ALL-IN. Find me a weakness in this team. There are none. The Rams are eyeing having home field advantage to make a Super Bowl run so I don’t see them letting up for one second in the regular season. This is what doomed them last year. Seattle’s story last year was great, but I don’t see repeated success. So we have another division with a new winner in the NFC West. Please prove me wrong Darnold. I don’t even think Seattle is the runner up in this division unfortunately. Darnold was good last year, but his numbers weren’t mind blowing. I think the offense naturally digresses and the Super Bowl hangover kicks in with a tough schedule ahead of them. However, this is a gritty division, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 3 top dogs make the playoffs again, but if I had to pick one team looking from the outside-in, it’s the Seahawks. I think the 49ers are going to stay healthy this year (for once) and make a big push, but it won’t be enough to get over the hump of Los Angeles. The Cardinals are still searching for an identity and should be able to put up some points but I don’t see them being competitive.
2nd Place Prediction: San Francisco 49ers
Future Rams Division Winner Odds: -105
Future 49ers Division Winner Odds: +320
Future Seahawks Division Winner Odds: +200
NFC North: Chicago Bears
This is where I start to disagree with Vegas quite a bit. Last year we saw a glimpse of what is to come with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. They won the division at 11-6 but the other 3 teams massively underperformed in my opinion. The Bears will have a tougher schedule this year but I think they are the team ready to make a statement in 2026 and the offense will take off. Williams is clearly the most talented QB in this division playing against Jordan Love, JJ McCarthy and Jared Goff. Goff has proven he can get the job done in the past, but what happened last year? The Lions finished 9-8. They’re a blue collar team everyone wants to root for so I think they bounce back. They’re still the Lions though. The Lions give the Bears the biggest run for their money in 2026. I don’t see a lot of upside for the Packers improving from last year. Matt LeFluer was thought to be on the hot seat but was instead given an extension. I think Green Bay has some pieces to compete and make the playoffs again, but I don’t see this offense being exciting to watch. Love’s WRs aren’t too impressive and Josh Jacobs is the only thing keeping that run game relevant (who may also be facing a suspension). The Vikings will be dealing with a QB identity crisis so I don’t see them in the playoff hunt this year.
2nd Place Prediction: Detroit Lions
Future Bears Division Winner Odds: +330
Future Lions Division Winner Odds: +150
Future Packers Division Winner Odds: +250
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons
I had to save this one for later in this article because I know people would ‘X’ out or slide their finger up on their phone to close the app once they saw this. Thanks for getting this deep into the article though :) This division is all over the place right now in Vegas. Hear me out on the Falcons though, and I’m not just writing this because I’m a Falcons fan. Believe it or not, this team was one game away and in a 3 way tie for winning this division in 2025. But bad losses to Carolina twice, Miami, Indianapolis and the Jets killed the Falcons last year.Their inconsistent and soft coaching by Raheem Morris is out the door and Kevin Stefanski is now in control which is a massive upgrade. Matt Ryan has completely changed the identity of this team in the short time he’s been in office as the President. The Falcons seem to be very happy with their on paper garbage at QB but people within the community think we’ve yet to see what Penix is capable of. Now that Mike Evans is out of Tampa, Atlanta possesses the top 2 offensive weapons between Drake London and Bijan Robinson in the entire division. These 2 will get the job done on offense and Atlanta has sneakily been building a pretty good defense. It just needs to be deployed properly. I’m not 100% sold on Tampa’s offense. Baker is a dog but we’ll see if Egbuka can fill some shoes of Evans leaving and if their run game is any good this year. Carolina winning the division last year was a fluke and Bryce Young’s ceiling was witnessed. New Orleans is still rebuilding and I don’t think they’re quite ready to make a big leap.
2nd Place Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Future Falcons Division Winner Odds: +320
Future Buccaneers Division Winner Odds: +190
Future Panthers Division Winner Odds: +310
Future Saints Division Winner Odds: +260
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
This division just never disappoints with the entertainment level we get every year. There is loads of talent, great QBs and plenty of primetime games for America to see. I love the Eagles even with A.J. Brown leaving. I think A.J. was demanding to be fed the ball and it would honestly throw the offense and Hurts off from performing at their true identity. Brown is an alpha at WR, don’t get me wrong but the Eagles are meant to get Saquon the ball. Smith and Lemon will be able to provide plenty of pass attack production for the Eagles offense to keep things rolling. The defense is still strong and the new look from offensive coordinator Sean Mannion will make a huge difference. Get ready to see more of 2024 Saquon. But how many Cowboys fans are reading this portion going, “But this is the Cowboys year!!” [Insert clownface emoji] I’m sorry, but that defense was atrocious last year. The good news is, I think it will be much better and even though Caleb Downs is a rookie, he’ll be a huge difference maker in 2026 and so much so, I think the Cowboys are in wildcard territory. But let’s not forget the Commanders are only a season removed from making the NFC Championship game with Jayden Daniels. This year will be a massive indication of what his career may look like. But with Dan Quinn still leading the staff, they’re a wildcard team at best as well. I do love what the Giants are doing with their young core but I still think they are a year or so out of being legit title contenders.
2nd Place Prediction: Dallas Cowboys
Future Eagles Division Winner Odds: +135
Future Cowboys Division Winner Odds: +200
Future Commanders Division Winner Odds: +450
Every year, Vegas is wrong, writers are wrong and fans are wrong. But if you trust me to this point, this 8 leg parlay would be +45476! A $100 futures bet wins you $45K! I completely understand if you want to swap the Falcons out with someone else. Let’s check back in February where we stand here to see who was brave enough to ride at dawn with me on these division winners.
