As his return to full health draws nearer, Odell Beckham Jr.‘s name continues to draw attention. The list of potential suitors for the free agent wideout is likely to start taking shape, and one of the teams recently named as an interested party could be moving to the front of the line. 
Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reports that the Chiefs are “regarded as [a] strong contender” to sign Beckham (Twitter link). He adds that the three-time Pro Bowler remains on schedule with respect to his ACL rehab, which should allow him to see the field in mid-November.
Kansas City was not initially on the radar for a Beckham signing, but the AFC West leaders were named as a landing spot earlier this month. The team’s offseason was marked by the numerous changes made at the WR position after trading away Tyreek Hill. The additions of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency, along with Skyy Moore in the draft, gave Patrick Mahomes plenty of new pieces to work with in 2022.
So far, things have gone as well as could be expected for their offense; the Chiefs rank fourth in the NFL with an average of 289 passing yards per game (although tight end Travis Kelce is the leading receiver). The fact that he recently restructured his contract for the second time in 2022 opened up some financial breathing space for Kansas City, and they now sit mid-pack in terms of cap space.
Since his Super Bowl exit, it has been widely expected that Beckham, 29, would reunite with the Rams; alternatively, speculation has linked him to a Buffalo signing, which would once again pair him with Von Miller. However, the Rams’ offer and the Bills’ level of interest have led to a broadening of potential destinations outside those two teams. The effect (if any) that a serious offer from the Chiefs would have on Beckham and the league’s other suitors would be interesting to watch as the countdown to his ultimate decision continues.
I sort of assumed that this was where they were going with the restructure of Kelce’s deal after the Bills game. We’ll see if their pitch is successful, or if Beckham just uses it for leverage against the Rams. It seems like there’s a good chance.
I’m thinking Beckham and Beckham’s agent have moved on from the Rams. IE their playoff success looks sketchy this year. He is an old 30 coming off back to back years of serious left knee injuries. Doesn’t have many years left. He’s fully aware of this.
Definitely wants to sign with a team with legit playoff run potential. KC makes sense as well as Buffalo.
As far as the article referring to “serious offer” offers only, I’m thinking he will quickly realize that these other teams will be offering right around what the Rams were offering. Again, he’s an old 30. The days of big money over a long term are over for OB.
I agree. Good points.
Thanks AK185; it’s a pleasure following your takes and insights on the various topics here. Best to you and family.
Thank you Jeff, the same to you and your family. Very kind of you to say.
And hey, Stafford was hands down the best QB he’s ever played with (since he didn’t overlap with the best version of Eli). Imagine how he’d feel about playing with Mahomes.
Oof, that’s an interesting point to make. Considering that Beckham’s success was best with Eli (pre-injury of course), it will be interesting to see how much of a boost Mahomes would be in his late career. It’s doubtful that Beckham will approach his career heights, but he may enjoy playing with the best arm and best coached passing game to boost the late stages of his career. His athletic ability that made his name with Manning is probably much reduced, but he may be more efficient with Reid calling plays. Manning and Beckham had pretty good chemistry, which isn’t something that Beckham had in Cleveland. He wasn’t in L.A. long enough to compare it to New York.
If he can establish that again in a well coached offense in K.C., it could only help him and them. That’s a pretty optimistic outcome, of course, since we have no idea what Beckham will be like when he gets back.
It’s funny with these sort of assessments because the truth is we’re waiting on an injury or team need evolution so we don’t really know where he’s going to go.
There’s a lot of fiscal and anecdotal things that could shift OBJ one way or the other (presumptuously)…
…But the Bills don’t really need a WR as much as other positions and the Chiefs could hire him, but for how long until OBJ himself gets injured (again). Neither trickle down is going to help OBJ’s price/cost scenario on a deal so in the meantime…
That’s IMHO why he’s still watching TV.
I don’t think OBJ has much to offer but he has matured like a fine whine.
I just don’t see OBJ going to a cold weather team regardless of their record unless they play in a dome!
How does he go to any other team besides the Packers?!?
I think the last thing the Packers front office wants to deal with is another mega ego like Rodgers.