Raiders 2018 Super Bowl odds improve to top ten, best in AFC West after first week free agency

By Levi Damien@LeviDamien Mar 22, 2018, 1:46pm PDT

We are now a little over a week since free agency officially started. Players have been flying around the league, signing new deals. The Raiders have added some 15 players, 13 of whom became unrestricted free agents when the clock struck 1:00pm last Wednesday.

They also sent a few players away and let a couple others sign elsewhere in free agency. Of the players who left, either as free agents (TJ Carrie, Denico Autry), release (David Amerson, Sean Smith, Michael Crabtree, Marshal Newhouse), or trade (Cordarrelle Patterson, Jamize Olawale), all have started games for the Raiders if not full time starters.

Of the players who were brought in, three are pegged as starters — Jordy Nelson, Tahir Whitehead, and Rashaan Melvin.

That movement was enough to raise the Raiders Super Bowl odds from 33/1 in early February to 22/1 according to Bovada.lv.

They were right in the middle of the pack at 33/1 and now they are in the top ten, ahead of all three other AFC West teams.

The Broncos sit at 25/1, with the Chiefs and Chargers both at 33/1.

In the previous odds, the Raiders were tied with the the Broncos and Chargers, and below the Chiefs who are the only AFC West team to have their odds go down from 28/1 to 33/1. This despite Kansas City giving big money to wideout Sammy Watkins to try and bolster their receiving corps and bringing in starting middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens.

Here are the current top ten Super Bowl odds:

New England Patriots 5/1

Philadelphia Eagles 17/2

Minnesota Vikings 9/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 12/1

Green Bay Packers 14/1

Los Angeles Rams 14/1

San Francisco 49ers 14/1

New Orleans Saints 18/1

Atlanta Falcons 20/1