Tom Brady’s decision to cut his retirement short and return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday wasn’t a surprise to everyone.
According to an ESPN report, several Las Vegas sportsbooks received significant bets on the Bucs to win the Super Bowl in the days prior to Brady’s announcement.
With Tampa’s title odds at around 50-1, bets upwards of $10,000 came in Thursday at SuperBook, South Point and Circa Sports. This caused those books to adjust their odds without knowing why the flurry of action was coming in.
SuperBook thought it could even be news that Deshaun Watson was headed to the Bucs, sportsbook manager Randy Blum told ESPN. It wasn’t until Sunday when they found out with the rest of us that Brady was back.
These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG pic.twitter.com/U0yhRKVKVm
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 13, 2022
Circa Sports took a “significant” bet at 30-1 odds on the Bucs to win the Super Bowl. Sportsbook manager Chris Bennett said he’s “confident” the bettor knew Brady was coming back.
South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews said he has a multi-six figure liability on the Bucs, and that he has a feeling that one bettor in particular who placed several bets Thursday “had good information”.
Brady’s official announcement only caused more chaos, as it came in the hours after the NCAA men’s basketball tournament field was announced and books were working to get up those odds. They quickly had to turn their attention to updating NFL futures, as a few bets snuck in beforehand.