The Odell Beckham Jr. hype train has slowed down. The last of Beckham’s three free agency visits ended more than a week ago, and it produced a run of headlines pertaining to the high-profile wide receiver’s late-season availability.
Skepticism about Beckham being able to contribute for a contender this season had brewed before he embarked on his free agency tour, and his Cowboys meeting led to reports of a further delayed timetable — compared to the long-rumored November-December return window. This preceded Beckham coming out and saying he preferred to sign with a team and only play in the playoffs. OBJ now looks to be considering moving that timetable back further.
Several teams believe Beckham is moving toward shutting down his efforts to play this season, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. It is fairly clear the offers Beckham sought — reportedly in the $20MM-AAV range on a multiyear accord — have not emerged. The Cowboys are not believed to have submitted an offer during their visit, despite weeks of courting the former Pro Bowler. Beckham, 30, would be in a better position to hit free agency healthy if he did not attempt to play this season.
Mentioned as an option here, Beckham punting on the 2022 campaign would put him in line to be part of a thin free agent receiver class. Ahead of potential cap casualties, next year’s UFA crop stands to be headlined by DJ Chark, Jakobi Meyers, Allen Lazard and JuJu Smith-Schuster. This class is believed to be affecting Beckham’s plans, per Fowler, who adds that teams who have done homework on the eight-year vet expect him to wait and be part of this crop.
Taking this route will mean a 19-month gap between games for the former Giants, Browns and Rams wideout, who has been rehabbing his second ACL tear. The money OBJ would have received this offseason, had he not been injured, may never be available to him again. While Beckham already played four seasons on a five-year, $95MM deal he signed back in 2018, the first half of Super Bowl LVI showed he still had plenty left in the tank. Regrouping for 2023 may still limit his earning power, due to age and injury history, but it would protect him against a reinjury this year crushing his value — perhaps irrevocably.
That said, a Beckham-Cowboys partnership is not dead yet. The Cowboys signed T.Y. Hilton this week, and Josina Anderson of CBS Sports tweets that move partially came about because the team is not certain how long the end of Beckham’s rehab effort will take. One report indicated Beckham would not be ready to play again until February 2023. Jerry Jones said Beckham playing during the regular season was important for a signing to commence, but he stopped short of saying it was mandatory. Jones said late last week the sides were still talking, and Anderson adds (via Twitter) they huddled up again Monday night to discuss terms and a timetable.
Dallas has won four straight and now has a deeper receiving corps than it carried into the season. Michael Gallup is healthier, while James Washington made his debut in Week 14 after missing most of the season due to a foot fracture. A four-time Pro Bowler during his 10-season Colts stay, Hilton supplies more depth for the CeeDee Lamb-fronted group. A healthy Beckham would certainly make the Cowboys’ offense more dangerous, but it became clear last week the Cowboys do not view Beckham as healthy.
Injuries to other teams’ receiving cadres likely will continue to keep a late-season OBJ signing on the radar, but both the Cowboys and Bills (Cole Beasley, John Brown) have made moves to add lower-profile depth recently. Beckham attempting to be the rare impact player to spend a season without a team and come back would make for an interesting scenario, and more teams figure to pursue him in free agency come March. Will that now be the window when Beckham finally signs?
So much hype for so little potential use, at least in 2022. May or may not be healthy. Starting drama on the airplane already. Not sure why so many WR’s require the diva component and can’t be like Megatron and just provide overwhelming production without drama.
Wide receivers are powerless in a lot of ways. They’re at the mercy of the QB, the playcalling, the scheme, the place where they’re drafted or traded. Sometimes agitating is the main tactic at their disposal to change their situation. I’m sure a lot of guys would rather be the guy who agitated his way off a go nowhere Browns team and onto a Super Bowl team, rather than the Hall of Famer who never agitated and retired young with a battered body he sacrificed to a team that brought him to a whopping two playoff games.
“Sometimes agitating is the main tactic at their disposal”.
Thank goodness Oooof would never use that approach in the PFR forum 🙂
Oooof… I agree with ya to a point. But I think if you resort to primadona behavior as a way of getting attention, you have to own the blowback that comes with it. Most people in the ‘real’ world view those kind of antics in an adult as childish and entitled. Very talented man, but he overplayed his hand this offseason. I hope he just goes home and gets in great shape for the spring. No doubt he could be a serious contributor.
For sure. Guys like that will always alienate the old school, no nonsense types, though many of them don’t mind as long as a guy is playing at a high level. The schtick gets old a lot faster when they’re cooked.
Which he is
Possibly, but he was awfully effective last time he played.
The only hype was this web site talking about him every 5 minutes. He basically hasn’t done anything in years since he was in NY. He is a great self promotor
He caught a touchdown pass in the last Super Bowl for the winning team.
Honestly who tf does this guy think he is? I wouldn’t want him around my locker room. He’s over the hill, but even besides that, I don’t think the guys would want him in the room. He thinks he’s too good to battle in the trenches during the regular season? What an ego.
He’s been recovering from an ACL tear the whole regular season. How was he going to battle in the trenches? And teammates famously like the guy.
He already told us he quit on the season. Are there really teams that do not know this?
I’m very curious on how we got here. Certainly OBJ has his own doctors advising him on his timeline. So, he had to know that a) all teams were going to do a physical on him before signing and b) if his true timeline for return was in February, no one is going to sign him in early December. So, what am I missing here? Did the Cowboys somehow discover a new return timeline that OBJ didn’t know? Did he think he was going to get signed anyway? Did he think they wouldn’t figure it out? Is he contesting this new timeline for return? I haven’t seen that anywhere. Like, wtf happened?
The only people who wanted Beckham back in the NFL this season are the National Sports Media that worship divas of any kind in any sport on any continent.
Teams want him now to add to playoff caliber offenses. That means available now. OBJ is teasing but refused to workout exposing hes simply not 100% So teams are now making moves to best up their receiving corp for the now. OBJ is next seasons news if at all?
He’s a punk. Who cares. The NEXT AB….you heard it hear first
AB commits morw crimes a week than AB does in a lifetime. Nah, OBJ’s more like Dez.
*here
The only way Beckham gets $20 million per year iver multiple years is if A.J. Preller leaves the Padres to run a NFL team.
He should just play for the Broncos, he’s already injured with plenty of potential. He’ll fit right in.
The guy is either enough to play or he isn’t. And if he isn’t then there should be a clear cut timeline. And if there isn’t then there is no reason for anyone to be talking to him.
Healthy