We’re approaching unmatched hype for the Houston Texans in the franchise’s history.
After C.J. Stroud lit up the NFL as a rookie, Houston has not rested on its laurels entering the standout quarterback’s second season. The Texans already have a strong offensive line to protect Stroud, and they’ve now added running back Joe Mixon and (reportedly) Stefon Diggs to the receiver room.
Houston sees a window to win with Stroud on his rookie contract and is going for it.
Here’s where the Texans’ odds stand in the futures market, as well as Stroud in the MVP race.
2025 Super Bowl Odds
After the trade, Houston moved down to +1300 to win the Super Bowl at FanDuel. That would be the Texans’ third-lowest preseason number in franchise history, trailing a 12-1 mark in 2018 and 10-1 in 2012.
It’s wild to see the Texans that low on the board, where they’re tied for the seventh-lowest odds with the Bengals.
Here are the nine teams at lower than 20-1 at FanDuel to win the Super Bowl as of Wednesday at noon ET.
| Team | Super Bowl Odds |
|---|---|
| 49ers | +500 |
| Chiefs | +650 |
| Ravens | +900 |
| Cowboys | +1300 |
| Lions | +1300 |
| Bills | +1300 |
| Texans | +1500 |
| Bengals | +1500 |
| Eagles | +1600 |
The rapid shift from underdog to favorite for Houston is drastic and is among the biggest swings the NFL has ever seen.
As of Wednesday, the Texans have gone from 200-1 to win the Super Bowl before the 2023 season to 15-1 for 2024. That would be the third-highest jump to 20-1 or shorter in the Super Bowl market over the last 40 years. Washington went from 300-1 to 8-1 from 1979 to 1980, and the Cowboys went from 250-1 to 20-1 from 1990 to 1991.
The biggest jumps recently were the 2021 and 2022 Bengals, who were 150-1 to win the Super Bowl in Joe Burrow's second season then 20-1 after losing to the Rams in the Super Bowl, and the 2022 and 2023 Jets, who acquired Aaron Rodgers and went from 150-1 to 18-1 from year to year.
AFC South Odds
As of noon ET on Wednesday, April 3, the Texans are +110 to win the AFC South.
That number would be the Texans’ lowest in the division since 2013, when they were -222 before the season according to Sports Odds History. It would be the third-lowest number in franchise history.
For context, Houston was available at +1000 or higher before the start of last season to win the AFC South. The Texans were Brandon Anderson’s choice to be the NFL’s “worst to first” team last season. They will not be overlooked coming into the 2024-25 season, though.
2024-25 NFL MVP Odds
Entering his second NFL season, Stroud is tied for third on FanDuel’s MVP odds board at +1000. Also at that number are reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow.
The only two players above that trio of young quarterbacks are Patrick Mahomes, who’s the betting favorite at +650, and Josh Allen at +750. Jordan Love and Justin Herbert are right behind Stroud at +1400.
His +1000 odds to win the MVP award would be the shortest in the last 15 years for any 1st or 2nd year player in the league.
