National Football League

Kansas City Chiefs sit atop Wright's first offseason tiers list

Published Feb. 15, 2022 5:35 p.m. ET

Nick Wright isn’t fazed by Kansas City’s Super Bowl dud in 2020 and their AFC Championship collapse against Cincinnati last month.

He proved it with his "Way Too Early" NFL tier list on Tuesday morning's "First Things First," where Wright announced that he’s rolling with the oddsmakers and picking the Chiefs as his title favorites in 2022.

"Call any sportsbook in America and ask them who their favorites are for the NFL," Wright said. "The Chiefs are obviously the favorites."

Nick Wright reveals his NFL Tiers heading into the offseason I FIRST THINGS FIRST

After an explosive postseason, and a thrilling Super Bowl, Nick Wright has prepared one more list for the year. Watch as he unveils his NFL Tiers heading into the offseason.

Check out where each team lands in Wright’s first tiers list of the offseason:

THOSE THAT SHALL NOT BE NAMED: Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans.

Best Super Bowl odds: Eagles, Dolphins +4000

Wright's thoughts: "I will admit, there was a bit of a Committee fight. I campaigned to get my beloved Jacksonville Jaguars higher. Now that they have Doug Petersen; they have a real coach. The Committee said, ‘Nick, you embarrassed us with the Jags last year, we’re not putting them higher.’ Those teams are in unnamed tiers."

EHH … I GUESS: New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles.

Best Super Bowl odds: Broncos +2200

Wright's thoughts: "This is like when you can’t [decide] what you want to eat … Applebee’s? They’re not terrible, but [there’s] nothing interesting about any of these football teams."

CHANGE COMING?: Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers

Best Super Bowl odds: Packers +1500

Wright's thoughts: "Don’t know what the change gon’ be, but we know the quarterback position is in flux. The Bucs quarterback retired. The Seahawks quarterback is hanging out with Roger Goddell for the second-straight Super Bowl instead of playing in it. He wants out. Packers quarterback won’t tell us anything. The Browns quarterback is like, ‘Hey, I’m not going anywhere.’ And they’re like, ‘Ehh… you might be.'"

COACHING QUESTION: Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals

Best Super Bowl odds: Bengals +1200

Wright's thoughts: "I like all these teams, except for their coaches, with an exception. So obviously, Zac Taylor is a problem [in Cincinnati]. Obviously, Mike McCarthy is a problem [in Dallas]. Obviously, Kliff Kingsbury is a problem [in Arizona]. I like Brandon Staley. I am concerned, however, that the ilk that Chris Broussard hangs out with is going to put so much pressure on Brandon Staley to be like all of these other boring, doofus coaches, it's going to steal some of his magic."

QB QUESTION: Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers

Best Super Bowl odds: Titans, Ravens +2000

Wright's thoughts: "I like all these teams, but we have quarterback questions. Are the Titans really going to bring back Ryan Tannehill? Are the Colts really going to bring back Carson Wentz? Are the Steelers really going to go into the season with Mason Rudolph? And for the Ravens, is Lamar [Jackson] going to be healthy? And is Lamar going to be a different player than he was showing to be this year before the injury, where he had seemingly regressed? All of these teams, their rosters and their coaches, I really, really like. But they do have legitimate quarterback questions. "

TRULY TERRIFYING: Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl odds: Rams +1000, 49ers, +1400

Wright's thoughts: "The Rams are truly terrifying. They just won the Super Bowl and I know they’re going to lose guys. But, are they losing Aaron Donald? Don’t think so. Are they losing Cooper Kupp? No. Are they losing Matt Stafford? No. Are they losing Von Miller? Maybe [they] bring him back. Are they losing Jalen Ramsey? No. And for the Niners, they almost made the Super Bowl with below-average quarterback play. They’re either going to have a great quarterback next year … or they’re going to have Trey Lance, who I believe will be better than (Jimmy) Garoppolo. I think the ‘Niners should probably be the NFC favorites next year right alongside the Rams."

NO. 1 CONTENDER: Buffalo Bills

Super Bowl odds: +700

Wright's thoughts: "Now I do have some concern for Buffalo. The loss of Brian Daboll matters. I also think if you’re the Bills, we talked about the long tail of that loss to the Chiefs. I think if you're the Bills and you watched that Super Bowl you were like, ‘You gotta be kidding me. We would have washed both of these teams if we had the chance.’ I think that stings. However, they’re going to bring back most of their roster, and I told you, we’re retiring the Josh Allen slander."

FAVORITES: Kansas City Chiefs

Super Bowl odds: +650

Wright's thoughts: "‘Oh Nick, you’re such a homer.’ Look at literally every sportsbook in America. Call ‘em up and say ‘Hi Ms. Sportsbook, who’s your favorite for the NFL,’ and they’re going to say the Chiefs. They’re the favorites. They have the best player. They’re not losing their offensive coordinator. The only big contributor on the roster who I’m concerned might not be back is Tyrann Mathieu. But even if you lose Mathieu, you’re probably also losing Daniel Sorensen, so that might be a wash. Like you lose one great player and you lose the worst player in the league, so now it's about a push even at the safety position. They’re obviously the favorites."