The Cardinals have long been saddled with the lowest projected win total in the NFL heading into 2023.
Arizona has an over/under of 4.5 wins, with the under the favorite at -130 juice.
So it’s not a shock to see the Cards are favored to finish with the worst record in the league as well, although the gap is somewhat surprising.
Arizona has +220 odds to finish with the worst record in the NFL, according to Caesars, which is an implied probability of 31.25%.
The Cardinals have one of the worst rosters in football and will be without quarterback Kyler Murray for an indeterminate amount of time as he recovers from a torn ACL.
So Arizona is the clear favorite to finish with the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, and they also hold the draft pick of the team with the second-best odds to finish with the worst record.
The Houston Texans have odds listed at +650, which is an implied probability of 13.33%. All told, the sportsbook gives Arizona a 44.6% chance of getting the top pick, either through its own worst record or that of Houston.
Here is a look at the six teams with the best odds to finish with the worst record in the NFL in 2023, via Caesars Sportsbook on August 16th:
- Arizona Cardinals +220
- Houston Texans +650
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +750
- Los Angeles Rams +1000
- Indianapolis Colts +1000
- Washington Commanders +1000
As you can see, there is a chance the Cardinals could finish with the Nos. 1 and 2 picks in the draft, which would set up a franchise-changing situation.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams is the heavy favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick, and Arizona could draft him and trade Kyler Murray, or keep Murray and deal that pick for an unreal draft haul.
But they conceivably wouldn’t be done there. Drake Maye is another potential franchise quarterback, so the Cardinals could trade the second pick for yet another windfall of draft picks.
The odds of Arizona landing both of the top two selections is not super high, but it’s a possibility that let’s the mind wander.
The Buccaneers are seen as the most likely competitor for the top selection. The roster is decent but Baker Mayfield has not proven to be a starting-level quarterback in the NFL.
The Los Angeles Rams could be the best value bet on the board, because a slow start could see them jettisoning off established talent to try to keep Williams in LA.
The Indianapolis Colts have a high-upside quarterback in Anthony Richardson, but if he experiences growing pains as a rookie the record could be awful.
And then there are the hapless Commanders, who hope new ownership will turn around their fortunes eventually, though this season already looks lost.
Here is a look at the rest of the odds for the NFL’s worst record, per Caesars Sportsbook on August 16th:
- Las Vegas Raiders +1300
- Tennessee Titans +1600
- New England Patriots +1800
- Chicago Bears +2200
- Green Bay Packers +2500
- Carolina Panthers +2500
- New York Giants +3000
- Denver Broncos +4000
- Atlanta Falcons +6000
- Minnesota Vikings +6600
- Miami Dolphins +8000
- Cleveland Browns +8000
- Pittsburgh Steelers +8000
- Seattle Seahawks +8500
- Los Angeles Chargers +10000
- New Orleans Saints +10000
- Baltimore Ravens +10000
- New York Jets +10000
- Detroit Lions +10000
- Jacksonville Jaguars +15000
- Cincinanti Bengals +15000
- Dallas Cowboys +15000
- Buffalo Bills +20000
- Philadelphia Eagles +20000
- San Francisco 49ers +20000
- Kansas City Chiefs +20000
