NFC West Division Winner Odds: Rams Take Over as Favorite Over Defending Champion Seahawks
The Rams have overtaken the Seahawks as favorites to win the NFC West after trading for Myles Garrett, but Seattle's championship core keeps this a two-team race.
The Los Angeles Rams have taken over as the market’s pick to win the NFC West, but the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are close enough behind that this race looks like a genuine two-team fight from Week 1.
Quick take:
- Pick: Los Angeles Rams (+100 to +144, depending on book)
- Why: A reigning MVP, a new Defensive Player of the Year on the edge, and a rebuilt secondary
- The number to watch: Myles Garrett’s NFL-record 23.0 sacks in 2025 — now playing for the Rams
This market has moved hard since the spring. Books opened the Rams and 49ers close together, but Los Angeles has separated itself with an aggressive series of moves capped by a blockbuster trade for Myles Garrett, while Seattle’s own roster additions have kept the defending champs squarely in the picture. San Francisco sits a clear third, and Arizona remains a long shot at odds as long as +10000 in some markets.
How the Board Has Shifted This Offseason
The Rams are the current favorite at odds ranging from roughly +100 to +144 across major sportsbooks, with the Seahawks priced right behind them in the +160 to +205 range. San Francisco trails both at anywhere from +260 to +305, and Arizona is priced as an afterthought, with some books listing the Cardinals as long as 100/1. That spread reflects a division where the top two teams are viewed as clearly ahead of the pack, but not far apart from each other.
Top Contenders
| Team | Odds | Key Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | +100 to +144 | Traded for Myles Garrett, extended Matthew Stafford |
| Seattle Seahawks | +160 to +205 | Defending Super Bowl champs, extended Jaxon Smith-Njigba |
| San Francisco 49ers | +260 to +305 | Signed WR Mike Evans, extended LT Trent Williams |
| Arizona Cardinals | +3000 to +10000 | Coming off a 3-14 season, rebuilding |
Why the Rams Are Suddenly the Favorite
Los Angeles didn’t just tinker this offseason — general manager Les Snead pushed the roster all-in around 2025 NFL MVP Matthew Stafford, who led the league in both passing yards (4,707) and touchdowns (46) last season and has since signed a one-year, $55 million extension keeping him in Los Angeles through 2027. The Rams then traded a package of future first-, second-, and third-round picks, plus edge rusher Jared Verse, to Cleveland for Myles Garrett, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year who just posted an NFL-record 23 sacks. Pairing a reigning MVP with a reigning Defensive Player of the Year on the same roster is something CBS Sports Research notes has never happened in league history.
That wasn’t even the Rams’ only splash. Los Angeles also acquired cornerback Trent McDuffie from Kansas City in exchange for draft compensation, then signed him to a four-year, $124 million extension that made him the highest-paid corner in the NFL. They rounded out that secondary by adding McDuffie’s old Chiefs running mate, Jaylen Watson, in free agency. On paper, this is the most talented roster the Rams have built since their 2021 championship run — and the futures market has responded accordingly, pushing them past Seattle as the new favorite despite the Seahawks holding the Lombardi Trophy.
Seattle’s Case for a Repeat
The Seahawks aren’t just running it back — they’re paying to keep their engine intact. Quarterback Sam Darnold led Seattle to 14 wins and a Super Bowl title in his first season after arriving via trade, and general manager John Schneider has been public about expecting an even better season from him in year two under head coach Mike Macdonald. Seattle’s bigger financial commitment went to receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who signed a four-year, $168.6 million extension in March that made him the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver after a 2025 season in which he commanded nearly 36% of Seattle’s targets, the highest single-season target share by any player since 2012.
The Seahawks also locked up receiver Rashid Shaheed on a three-year, $51 million deal and extended edge rusher Derick Hall for four years and $42.5 million, while a Devon Witherspoon extension is reportedly still in the works. It’s the same core that beat the Rams in the NFC Championship Game last season before winning it all — meaning this division could very plausibly come down to the same two teams in January.
The last time an NFL team paired a reigning MVP with a reigning Defensive Player of the Year on the same roster: never, until the 2026 Rams.
San Francisco isn’t sitting still either. The 49ers added receiver Mike Evans on a three-year deal and re-signed left tackle Trent Williams, giving quarterback stability behind one of the league’s best offensive lines. But at 12-5 last season and priced well behind the top two, the 49ers look more like a strong wild-card threat than a division favorite right now.
Arizona is the clear outlier. After a 3-14 season, the Cardinals are in full rebuild mode, and the market treats their division odds as close to a lottery ticket.
The Best Bet
The value here isn’t really about picking against the Rams — it’s about deciding whether their star power is worth the shorter price compared to a Seahawks team that just won it all with largely the same roster running it back.
- Pick: Los Angeles Rams +100 to +144
- Value alternative: Seattle Seahawks +160 to +205
Both teams look built for another deep playoff run, and given how tight the Rams-Seahawks numbers are relative to the rest of the division, a Seattle moneyline on the division bet offers real value if you think a defending champion with a healthier cap sheet holds a slight edge over a roster that just took on Myles Garrett’s contract. Bettors comfortable with betting favorites should check the latest lines through a DraftKings promo code before locking in a number, since division-winner pricing shifts quickly once camps open.