A bettor in New Jersey is in position for the biggest score of his betting career, thanks to New York Jets backup quarterback Mike White, but obstacles remain, including Patrick Mahomes on Monday Night Football.
On Friday, a 35-year-old small business owner from northern New Jersey placed a $1,000 bet on White to have the most passing yards of any quarterback in Week 8 at 125-1 odds. White had the fourth-longest odds offered, behind Chicago’s Justin Fields, Houston’s Davis Mills and Cleveland’s Case Keenum.
With the bettor watching from the fourth row at the Meadowlands, White overcame those odds, passing for 405 yards and leading the underdog Jets to the biggest upset of the season so far in a 34-31 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The bet was placed at the Tropicana casino in Atlantic City and would pay a net $125,000 if neither Mahomes nor New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones eclipses White’s 405 passing yards on Monday Night Football.
“This would be my biggest [win], No. 1,” the bettor said.
The bettor, who spoke to ESPN on the condition of anonymity, was visiting his mother near Atlantic City last week and decided to find a long-shot wager to root for since he was going with friends to the game Sunday at the Meadowlands.
“I just thought it would be fun to have something to root for while I was there,” the bettor said Monday. “The Jets are just so terrible that I figured they’d be behind the whole game and have to throw the ball a bunch, so it seemed like a good bet.”
The bettor sat in the fourth row, around the 20-yard line, behind the Bengals’ sideline and watched as White began racking up passing yards. He got nervous when White left the game in the third quarter after hitting his head in a collision with an offensive lineman. White would miss only one series.
“I had a close eye on Mike White on the other sideline the whole time, and as soon as he came back in, I got pretty excited,” the bettor said. “My bet was back to life.”
The betting slip, potentially worth $125,000, was sitting on the bettor’s coffee table Monday afternoon, a few hours before the Monday night game, as he pondered his options. He put the ticket up for sale on PropSwap, a secondary market where pending wagers are bought and sold. His initial asking price was $120,000, but he said he’s willing take less.
Luke Pergande, the founder of PropSwap, told ESPN that the ticket had attracted a few “bites, but nothing firm” as of Monday afternoon.
The bettor also considered placing a bet on Mahomes’ passing yards as a way to secure some profit, but didn’t like his options. The over/under on Mahomes’ passing yards is 302.5 at Caesars Sportsbook. Jones’ over/under on passing yards is 256.5.
Mahomes has had five 400-plus-yard passing games. Jones had 402 yards passing against the New Orleans Saints this season, his only 400-plus-yard game.
“It’s possible, but I think it’s got close to a 90 percent chance to win, but if I do get the right offer on PropSwap, I’d be willing to sell,” the bettor said. “And, if not, I will be very intently watching Monday Night Football.”