The firestorm surrounding New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees had led to an interesting development on the NFL betting front.
Former Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, Brees’ backup in New Orleans, is seeing a surge of bets being placed on him to win 2020 NFL MVP, per OddsChecker. The site adds that half of all bets placed on NFL MVP in a 24-hour period after the Brees controversy came to light were placed on Winston.
“Whoever starts under centre for the Saints this season will have one of the most dangerous offensive units in the league at his disposal and thus a great chance of being named MVP,” said OddsChecker spokesperson Pete Watt, per Luke Easterling of Sports Illustrated. “If the current negativity surrounding Brees escalates, the Saints may feel pressured to take him out of the limelight. At that point, +20000 on Winston starts to look mighty appealing given that a $10 wager would net a profit of $2000 if he manages to scoop the award.”
Brees, the longtime Saints signal caller, received major backlash this week for saying that he still would not support NFL players kneeling for the national anthem in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing. The former Super Bowl MVP was roundly criticized for the remarks, including by his own teammates, and has since apologized.
As for Winston, much was made of his shaky 2019 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But with a new team, new and improved vision, and the potential for a real opportunity to start depending on how the Brees situation plays out, the story could very different for Winston in New Orleans.
