We can say that the 2022 NFL season is over because the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl. Many people were ready to write them off for 2022 when they traded Tyreek Hill away during the offseason while the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders all made big moves.
It’s never too early to start thinking about next year, and the Chiefs are the favorite to run it back. Here, we’ll look at five Super Bowl value picks that you might want to make right now. Since these are picks based on value, we’ll skip the top five favorites for now.
New York Jets
The Jets had a strange year in 2022. The Jets did great in the draft, getting the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year. Their defense was the No. 4 unit in the NFL and helped them win several games, but they still didn’t make the playoffs. The issue, of course, was who would play quarterback.
New York will be looking for a quarterback, and it should be seen as a good place to go. The Jets are a team on the rise. Their wide receivers and running backs are both young players with a lot of talent. If Aaron Rodgers decides to play in 2023 and leaves the Green Bay Packers, the Jets are likely to go all-in on the four-time MVP. Even though we don’t know who the quarterback is yet, I’m willing to bet a couple of dollars on it.
Baltimore Ravens
I’m not sure if Ravens fans are going to enjoy this offseason. Lamar Jackson wants a deal like Deshaun Watson’s, but he’s probably not going to get it. It’s likely that the tag will say “exclusive franchise,” and I’ve already said that things will get messy. BUT, when everything calms down, the Ravens might go back to being a really good football team.
We all know that when Jackson is healthy, he is always in the running for MVP. We also know that his defense has some young talent and that Roquan Smith is a real star at linebacker. Even though there are some holes to fill, this defense was in the top 10 in 2022.
No offense to Greg Roman, but maybe the offense will change now that he is gone. Maybe this offseason is when the Ravens get a real No. 1 wide receiver and become even more dangerous.
I would wait before making this bet. When you hear a lot of news about contract talks that aren’t going well or possible trades, that’s the time to strike.
Miami Dolphins
What a wild ride it was for the Dolphins in the year 2022. Early in the season, when they won eight of their first 11 games, they looked like a Super Bowl sleeper. But Tua Tagovailoa’s head injuries made it so the Dolphins couldn’t finish strong.
Still, I think it’s important to remember how hot they were in the beginning. In Week 2, Tagovailoa threw for 469 yards and six touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens. The next week, Miami beat the Buffalo Bills, who are known as one of the best teams in the NFL. The offense run by Mike McDaniel could be one of the best in the NFL.
Now, the defense needs help, and the Dolphins are in a division that is on the rise, but I like McDaniel and think the Dolphins will be even better in 2023. Maybe this is the year that they make a big jump like the Philadelphia Eagles.
Minnesota Vikings
The defense for the Vikings in 2022 was terrible, but I think hiring Brian Flores to lead that side of the ball is an “A+” move. In his first season as head coach, Kevin O’Connell did a lot. His team went 13-4 and won the NFC North.
I think the Vikings should add another good starting wide receiver, but I think they have an interesting long shot to win the whole thing. The fact that Rodgers could leave the division only furthers my case.
Chicago Bears
The longest shot of all. If 2022 taught us anything about the Bears, it was that Justin Fields is their franchise quarterback. He can get better at some parts of passing, but his arm strength was praised when he came out of college.
You can expect him to pass better in 2023. Fields will be hard to stop once he does. Few people thought he would become Michael Vick this past season.
The Bears roster needs a lot of work, but general manager Ryan Poles have set the team up for what could be a quick rebuild. Chicago has the first overall pick, which it will sell for top dollar, and the most projected cap space in the NFL.
It would be hard for the Bears to go from being the worst team to the best team in one year, but with a star like Fields and all the tools they have at their disposal in the offseason, it might be worth throwing an Andrew Jackson on this and maybe making $2,000 a year from now.
