The free agent, Odell Beckham Jr, hopes to join an NFL team; he recently revealed five teams he would join upon his return. Last season, the veteran wide receiver was part of the Los Angeles Rams team that defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the United states Bank Stadium and gave them their 16th Week loss.
Odell Beckham made headlines last year when his former team, the Browns, decided to waive him. On clearing this waiver, he remained a free agent for the first time in his career in the NFL.
This is not a new rumor, as in 2020 there were already talks of that possibility.
Rumors swirling about Odell Beckham Jr. being traded to the Minnesota Vikings.
Vikings fans: pic.twitter.com/6MMCD7WDa3
— Miguel Ribeiro (@miguelcaluete) April 15, 2020
Odell Beckham Trade Rumors
The Minnesota Vikings traded Stefo n Diggs in the 2021 offseason, and this was linked with talks that the Cleveland Brown had a deal with Beckham, an agreement they waived. Marc Malusis, the WFAN radio host, speculated on his contract, requiring the team to send their second and fifth picks in 2021 in Beckham’s stead.
However, more sources revealed this to be just a rumor, and those discussions of Brown acquiring Beckham would fall through if another team had a better offer.
As the season progresses into its fifth week, Odell Beckham is still a free agent, and his torn ACL prevents him from signing with a team. This torn ACL was an injury that Beckham suffered while playing in the Superbowl for the Rams against the Bengals.
Ian Rapoport, as part of the NFL’s media reports, that come November, Beckham could have made enough recovery to return to the field. This leaves the imminent question of whose team this wide receiver will be joining.
A lot of speculation about Bekham’s future home will soon be put to rest as Beckham listed his five potential homes.
However, the Minnesota Vikings are not on the list of Bekham’s picks. This is not set in stone because the Vikings’ wide receiver depth is predicted to take a hit in the coming weeks.
#NFL Best Free Agents Available #Rams Odell Beckham Jr.#Lions Trey Flowers #Browns J.C. Tretter #Titans Julio Jones#Colts Eric Fisher #Seahawks Duane Brown #Commanders Landon Collins #Dolphins Will Fuller #Bills Cole Beasley #Bengals Riley Reiff#Vikings Anthony Barr pic.twitter.com/WW9fGBgGjB
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) July 10, 2022
What Are The Chances of Odell Beckham Jr. signing with the Vikings this season?
Rapoport reported Beckham’s potential homes for the year included: Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packer, and the Rams. The Vikings are not in the running at the moment, but a lot could change in a few weeks, and while it may seem the chances are dim, the NFL season is quite unpredictable.
The Viking’s wide receivers Adam Thelen and Justin Jefferson’s potential and significant injuries could create a scenario where Beckham would sign with the Vikings. These injuries and the ability of the team to remain atop the NFC rapidly increase the chances of the Vikings signing Beckham. This greatly diminished expectations of the Vikings signing Odell Beckham this year.
Justin Jefferson is the first rookie WR with 1,200 yards and 7 Rec TD since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014.
The only other rookies to do that in the last 60 years are Anquan Boldin (2003) and Randy Moss (1998), who also did it with the Vikings. pic.twitter.com/kdPnRs9HKu
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 25, 2020
Beckham’s New Home
Marcus Spears, the former NFL player, and current ESPN reporter suggested that Beckham should join the Cowboys. On the other hand, Odell quickly shit down this suggestion, citing no interest in joining the Cowboys or moving to Dallas. Cowboys diehards were quite disappointed. Odell’s aforementioned picks followed this.
Odell Beckham’s picks do not come as a surprise, as he made clear his intentions to join contender teams. Spears, in his prediction of Beckham’s potential new homes, made a list similar to Beckham’s while only excluding the Ravens.
Odell’s former team, The Rams, has been trying to get him back for months seeing as their offense these past few weeks has not been looking good; acquiring him would put the team in a better position. The Packers, like Green Bay, have a mutual interest in acquiring Odell and could make it as a finalist as the rams did the previous season.
Should Beckham sign with the Kansas City, the Chief’s offense would be more solid, while having Odell in the Bills roster would be a solid punch because of Stefon Diggs. The Ravens present an exciting position since Baltimore is in dire need of receiving after signing Andy Isabella just this week.
Odell Beckham Jr. still has the best catch in NFL History 🏈 pic.twitter.com/pxi0gVwFOt
— betclever US (@betcleverUS) October 11, 2022
Logistics of the Vikings Acquiring Odell Beckham Jr
While the Vikings have had problems acquiring wide receivers who aren’t Jefferson or Thelen, it would not be advisable to obtain the three-time ProBowl wideouts. The Minnesota Vikings have little more than a $3 million salary per 2021 statistics, while; a team intending to acquire a $7 million player would be a financial burden.
The team is already bogged down by other major deals and would require significant tradeoffs to acquire this costly player. The Minnesota Vikings don’t need to sign Beckham even if something happens to the current receivers. The team still has playmakers strong enough to mount a good offense.
While it is true that Beckham would have had great success in the offense with O’Connell and the Vikings, they should not sign him, and only extreme events would have the former Rams player in the Vikings’ purple and gold.
Ubiquitous free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. is targeting a mid-November return to the field, sources say. And he’ll have his suitors.
My story: https://t.co/QeTEvvOKho
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 9, 2022
Credits on Featured Image: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
