Rex Ryan Says He Tried to Trade for Odell Beckham While He Was Jets Head Coach

Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan disclosed to Don Banks of SI.com on Friday that he tried to trade for New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. back in 2014 when he was head coach of the New York Jets. 

Beckham's name came up when Ryan was asked whether Bills star receiver Sammy Watkins, who broke his foot, is injury-prone:

"

Has he missed a little time? Yeah. Big deal. He and everyone else. The [Odell] Beckham kid came out the same year, and he missed how many games with a hamstring issue? Believe me, I was trying to trade for him [with the Jets] when he had the hamstring. I was reading the [New York] papers, and I was like, "Well, hell, we’ll take him." But Sammy’s not even going to miss any time. He’s going to be ready to roll when it matters.

"

The Bills are expecting Watkins, who was selected eight spots ahead of Beckham in the 2014 draft, to be back before the regular season. He's missed just three regular-season games over his first two years in the league.

Beckham, on the other hand, missed the first four games of the 2014 season with that hamstring issue before bursting onto the scene and becoming one of the best young receivers in the game. 

The Giants broke down his record-setting first two seasons in the league:

Ryan and the Jets didn't have as much success in that 2014 draft when it came to picking wide receivers. They took Jalen Saunders out of Oklahoma in the fourth round, Shaq Evans out of UCLA 11 picks later and Quincy Enunwa out of Nebraska in the sixth. 

Only Saunders and Enunwa are still with the Jets, with the two combining for 23 career receptions. Enunwa has 22 of them, which is 165 shy of Beckham's pace. 

It would have been one of the largest gaffes not only in Giants history but in league history had the team actually accepted an offer from the Jets for Beckham. But had Beckham been wearing green instead of blue in New York, Ryan might still be with the Jets today. 

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.