Super Bowl odds update: Bucs among biggest movers

A frantic first week of NFL free agency is in the books. Some clubs were more active than others, and oddsmakers took notice.

Here are a trio of teams that saw significant movement in their Super Bowl futures over the last few days.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+750)

Listed at +900 at the beginning of March, the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers were expected by many to lose several key contributors to their Lombardi Trophy-winning squad. But Tampa broke open the piggy bank and re-signed several key cogs from their Super Bowl run.

Wide-out Chris Godwin received the franchise tag just before free agency began, allowing the Bucs to hang on to the talented 25-year-old Penn State product for another season at $16.43 million. Rock-solid inside linebacker Lavonte David – the longest-tenured man on the roster – was brought back on a two-year, $25 million pact. And premier edge rusher Shaquil Barrett inked a new four-year, $72 million contract.

The Bucs even re-signed tight end Rob Gronkowski (one year, $10 million) and kicker Ryan Succop (three years, $12 million). This was all done while giving quarterback Tom Brady a one-year extension to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere, even as he prepares to enter his age-44 campaign.

New England Patriots (+2800)

Brady’s former squad – the New England Patriots – have never been more busy during free agency in the Bill Belichick era. Oddsmakers surely weren’t expecting the Pats to splurge, so they were forced to correct New England’s Super Bowl odds from +4000.

The Patriots took whom many believed to be the two best tight ends on the open market in Hunter Henry (three years, $37.5 million) and Jonnu Smith (four years, $50 million). They also upgraded at wide-out by plucking Nelson Agholor (two years, $26 million) and Kendrick Bourne (three years, $22.5 million).

No expense was spared for New England on defense either. Linebacker Matthew Judon was lured from Baltimore with a four-year, $56 million deal. And after surprisingly being cut by the Miami Dolphins, linebacker Kyle Van Noy has climbed back aboard with his former organization (two years, $13 million).

Add to this the shocking re-signing of quarterback Cam Newton, and the Patriots have had one of the most active offseasons in recent memory. Now will it translate to wins on the field?

New York Jets (+7000)

Despite the New York Jets not being a very attractive destination right now, they managed to make some waves in free agency. They’ve taken enough action from some optimistic souls to force bookmakers’ hands, as their odds have dropped from +8000.

Wide-out Corey Davis was their biggest acquisition (three years, $37.5 million), giving Sam Darnold – or whoever is calling signals for the Jets in September – a reliable perimeter option. Wide-out Keelan Cole was also brought in on a one-year deal to add depth.

On the other side of the ball, the Jets got the defensive end they desperately needed in Carl Lawson (three years, $45 million), and a middle linebacker to lead new head coach Robert Saleh’s 4-3 defense in Jarrad Davis (one year, $5.5 million).

There’s almost nowhere to go but up for New York, but the turnaround could begin quicker than expected.