Odell Beckham Jr. is reportedly ready to sit out the season and focus on getting fully healthy before signing the contract he desires with a team in March ahead of the 2023 campaign.
Beckham remains the top free agent available and could prove to be a key addition for any team hoping to go on a deep run into the postseason. The 30-year-old is a proven commodity down the stretch, as he signed for the Los Angeles Rams last year and starred, scoring seven touchdowns en route to the team winning Super Bowl LVI.
Multiple teams have expressed interest in securing Beckham’s services ahead of the NFL Playoffs, including a potential reunion with the New York Giants, who drafted the receiver back in 2014. Beckham officially visited the Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills recently but he remains a free agent despite the interest.
The Rams were undoubtedly interested in a reunion with Beckham this season after he aided the franchise and helped them to a Super Bowl, but the team understood he wouldn’t be free to play until late in the 2022 season - and they have been proved right. Their circumstances have changed due to injuries and poor form, so the Rams are somewhat out of the running.
As for Beckham, he knows his worth but is struggling to find a team that will match it. The Dallas Cowboys rallied hard to sign the receiver with the likes of Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and even extravagant owner Jerry Jones calling for Beckham to join, but now their tune has changed amid his injury fears. According to
, it seems far more likely that Beckham will ink the deal he desires in the free agency period of 2023, when his knee is fully healthy.
The Cowboys turned to T.Y. Hilton as a result, while another contender for Beckham’s signature - the Buffalo Bills - enticed Cole Beasley out of retirement after he prematurely called time on his career earlier this season. It doesn’t help that Beckham declined to work out on any of his free-agency visits earlier this month, leaving teams in the unknown regarding how the former superstar would perform following his second ACL surgery.
The other veteran receivers who have landed on the teams linked with Beckham went about things very differently; Hilton worked out for Dallas on Monday morning and had a contract by the afternoon, while Beasley agreed to sign a practice squad deal in Buffalo where he could be promoted at any moment. These moves come just days after Beckham revealed he didn’t see the need to suit up in the regular season as he hoped to join a contender with playoff aspirations.
“I haven't made a decision, and for me, I would like to be in a stable environment, get up at 6 am, leave at 6 pm for four weeks, and then let's talk about it,” Beckham said on Thursday night while on Prime Video’s ‘TNF In The Shop’. “I’ve played football for a long time.
“I’m not saying that I couldn't step in and play regular season, but I don't see the point. I really don't. I would rather play when the pressure is on.”
According to NFL Network’s Jane Slater, Dallas were reportedly concerned about not being able to see the receiver work out extensively. This is not the only sticking point, as Beckham has also repeatedly insisted he is looking for a long-term deal that is also somewhat lucrative.
At some point, something has to give whether that be Beckham with his demands or teams in the market for a receiver. The situation remains what it was in the offseason - a waiting game.
