Now that the 2021 NFL Hall of Fame inductions have taken place and the first full weekend of the preseason has begun, oddsmakers can now look forward to the regular season and begin to contemplate how each team will stack up.
Online NFL sportsbook sites are anxious to gain an edge on budding betting avenues to draw in new customers and to keep ahead of seasoned bettors’ expectations. The following line on next year’s NFL Hall of Fame class recently debuted at BetOnline and offers moneyline odds on the most likely eligible players.
2022 NFL Hall Of Fame Odds
- DeMarcus Ware -200
- Torry Holt -150
- Tony Boselli +100
- LeRoy Butler +175
- Zach Thomas +175
- Devin Hester +190
- Richard Seymour +250
- Reggie Wayne +350
- Robert Mathis +350
- Jared Allen +400
- Andre Johnson +500
- Steve Smith +700
- Ronde Barber +900
- Asante Samuel +1200
- Anquan Boldin +1800
- Vince Wilfork +1800
- Hines Ward +2000
- Darren Woodson +2800
- Steve Tasker +2800
- Chad Greenway +3300
- Tony Romo +5000
This is the first time in a while that our staff has seen lines for betting on the NFL Hall of Fame. It can be assumed that the top five players listed in these odds could make up the 2022 NFL HoF class, but that particular combination would make for a low-key induction ceremony.
Those top five players have won a combined three Super Bowls, which is often the make-or-break statistic that earns someone a spot in the Hall.
One player that our staff believes will be a sure-fire, first-ballot Hall-of-Famer is former Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith. His current NFL moneyline odds are set at +700 to become inducted in the HoF in 2022 which will provide a healthy payout of 7X versus the amount bet on Steve Smith.
Consider this. Smith ranks 8th in all-time receiving yards in the history of the NFL with 14,731. Every single player that has caught more yards than he has is already inducted into the NFL HoF.
There’s no doubt that Steve Smith will have a bust etched for him in Canton, Ohio one day. The only question is whether it will be during his first year of eligibility.
Andre Johnson is another wide receiver entering his first year of eligibility that does not have a Super Bowl ring on his finger. For the bulk of Andre’s career, he was no worse than the #3 WR in the NFL, and his stats, pro bowl appearances, and All-Pro Team selections will certainly gain him entrance to the HoF.
The problem is that there is a logjam of WRs that are becoming eligible for the Hall of Fame at the same time, and with rising passing numbers in the current game, receiving stats of yesteryear are becoming less impressive by the day.
Take Torry Holt for example. In any other era, Holt would have been a first-ballot inductee based on his years of dominance and his Super Bowl title playing for the St. Louis Rams and the “greatest show on turf.”
In 2022 Holt is expected to be elected to the Hall, but now other WRs are on now the ballot, like Smith and Johnson, that have more impressive careers overall.
The above factors are just some of the criteria in play when considering betting on preseason NFL odds like the NFL Hall of Fame prop bet listing the most likely players to get inducted. This line should hang around for a bit because the 2022 NFL Hall of Fame class will not be announced until next February.
NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2021
