Vikings as a Super Bowl favorite for next season? They're not even close

If you want to take at least some emotion out of a decision, introduce money to the equation.

Next year's Super Bowl odds — updated almost immediately after Sunday's game, and of course subject to change given that teams have yet to make any moves in free agency or the draft — give us some early context into how the Vikings are viewed from an impartial, bottom-line standpoint.

And perhaps how we should view them as well.

In those future odds, released by Caesar's Sportsbook, the Vikings are heavy underdogs — something I talked about on Monday's Daily Delivery podcast.

They are one of five teams listed at 50 to 1, with a whopping 18 other teams having shorter odds than them.

There is a pretty clear hierarchy: Five favorites all with single-digit odds, starting with Kansas City (5.5 to 1) and followed by the 49ers, Bills, Eagles and Bengals.

From there it drops to Dallas (16 to 1) and falls fast. The Lions (30 to 1) have the ninth-shortest odds, with a ton of teams checking in at 35 to 1.

Perhaps even more interesting: In future odds a year ago around the time of the Super Bowl, the Vikings were listed at 45 to 1 to win this year's Super Bowl. So even after going 13-4, their odds have worsened for the next year.

What does that tell us?

That those who handle the money are not at all sold on the Vikings, at least as currently constructed. We saw that show up in late-season point spreads even as the Vikings held a gaudy record, and you know what? Vegas was largely correct.

What does it mean?

That's a different question. It doesn't necessarily mean the Vikings should blow up their roster. Incremental progress is important, we we shouldn't discount what Kevin O'Connell's team was able to achieve in 2022. And the Eagles were listed at 40 to 1 this time last year before emerging as a true contender that almost won a Super Bowl.