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Odell Beckham Jr. Rumors: Teams Know WR Worth More Than $4M; Chiefs, Patriots Linked
March 19, 2023
Odell Beckham Jr. is still trying to find the right landing spot, but the three-time Pro Bowler isn't going to have to settle for a low contract offer from interested teams.
On Sunday morning's SportsCenter, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said teams know Beckham is worth more than a $4 million offer, and several clubs, including the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots, could be in the mix to sign him:
"I'm trying to find out the team that offered him $4 million on a one-year deal. I haven't found that team yet, I don't know if that exists or not, we'll see. But teams know that he's worth more than $4 million. Right now, we're sort of in that bargain-bin phase of free agency. He's a little different. This is a very accomplished guy that will command top dollar. He wants to play with a competent, good quarterback who can get him over the top, contend for another Super Bowl.
"So, there's several teams involved either, either monitoring or aggressively pursuing. You have the Bills, the Cowboys, the Giants, who met with him in December, certainly they could revisit that situation. There's a feeling around the league that the Chiefs will add in some capacity at wide receiver, whether it's you try to trade for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, you go for Beckham. Then you have New England, they've been sort of scouring the Earth for receiver help as well. The Broncos have been looking at potentially trading one of their receivers, they're a bit of a wild card in that market, too."
Following a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Beckham was seeking $20 million per season, the 30-year-old took to Twitter to deny that price tag but seemed to suggest at least one team tried to offer him $4 million.
Fowler mentioned the Cowboys in his report, though they may have taken themselves out of the running by acquiring Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans on Sunday.
It's certainly not implausible the Cowboys could still be in the mix for Beckham, but they have other roster needs and a lot already invested at wide receiver with Cooks joining CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.
Fowler explained on SportsCenter after the Cooks trade the Cowboys aren't necessarily ruled out of the Beckham sweepstakes, but it could be difficult to fit his salary into their books:
"I wouldn't eliminate anything, but now that they're going to pay Cooks another, say, $12 million, along with the big salaries they already have on the books, that might take them out. Or, at least, makes it more challenging to get Odell Beckham. I know they've had interest in Beckham. He's going to command top dollar, too, though, so there's going to be teams interested and in the mix. Dallas could poke around a little bit, but I've gotten the impression they're not looking to be big spenders in free agency necessarily. If he were to fall to them with a more reasonable price, then maybe that would happen. We'll see. Dallas has pulled off bigger feats, as we've seen with all of the big free agents they've signed in past years. With Jerry Jones, I'll never take it off the table. But you're going to have everyone from Buffalo, to the Jets, potentially the Chiefs—there's going to be a lot of interest in this guy."
The Chiefs would seem like a top option for Beckham, especially if he's seeking the opportunity to win. He would go to a situation playing with reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City doesn't need Beckham to be the No. 1 option because Travis Kelce is still at the top of his game. The offense could stand to add another outside receiver after JuJu Smith-Schuster signed with the New England Patriots.
The Patriots, even with the addition of Smith-Schuster, should keep looking to add to their receiver room. They're also bringing in former Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Neither of those players have the upside of a No. 1 receiver. Beckham, coming off a torn ACL that kept him out all of last season, might not get back to being the top option in a good offense at his stage of his career. But at least the upside is still there for it to potentially happen.
There should also be a sense of urgency for the Patriots to surround Mac Jones with as much talent as possible. He's entering his third season and has yet to play with a dynamic group of pass-catchers in the NFL.
Beckham last played during the 2021 season when he split time between the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams. He had 537 yards and five touchdowns in 13 regular-season games between the two teams.
During the Rams' postseason run, Beckham caught 21 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns. He tore his ACL in the second quarter of their 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56.