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After a season where Odell Beckham Jr forced his way out of Cleveland thanks to his dad and YouTube, signed with the Los Angeles Rams, and won a Super Bowl while suffering a torn ACL in the process, he is once again a free agent. There have been rumors linking him to a number of teams, including a return to Cleveland, but three months on from the start of free agency, and with just one month to go until training camp opens, Beckham is still without a team.
Assuming his rehab goes well, Odell Beckham Jr should be available in the early parts of the season, if not week one. Several teams should be interested, and here are four of the best team fits for Odell Beckham Jr. as he ponders his options ahead of the 2022 season.
A team who hasn't had concrete rumors attaching them to Beckham but would make sense for the star receiver is the Green Bay Packers. After an early offseason where the team lost three of their pass catchers in Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Equanimeous St. Brown, and their true #1 Davante Adams, the Packers seemed incredibly likely to pick a receiver in the first round of the draft. They did not, passing on receivers at both picks 22 and 28, and waiting until the 34th overall pick to take Christian Watson out of North Dakota State, followed by two more pass catchers on day three of the draft.
Watson is a nice pick by the Packers, but he doesn't fill the gap left by Adams, at least right away. The Packers need a star receiver to pair with Aaron Rodgers, and Odell Beckham Jr just happens to be the best on the market. Of course, with Beckham's injury timeline being in question, it'll be interesting to see how teams value his services. His last ACL injury kept him off the field for just shy of a full calendar year, and if that timeline is similar to this one, Beckham would miss the entire 2022 season.
The only other team who has had serious rumors attaching them to Beckham is the Saints, who would offer something of a homecoming, seeing as Beckham was born, raised, and played both high school and college football in and around the New Orleans metro area. What complicates things with the Saints is the addition of Chris Olave through the draft.
Rumors connecting Beckham and the Saints were at their peak before the draft, when the only big time receivers the Saints had were Michael Thomas and Marquez Calloway, but with the selection of Olave in the first round, it appears the Saints have filled the very same need that Odell Beckham Jr would have. It's worth noting that Beckham also, when a free agent after his exit from Cleveland, called the Saints the “right place, wrong time.”
Another team that's been rumored for Beckham's services is a return to Cleveland. While their new $230 million quarterback may wind up suspended for part or all of the 2022 season, when both he and Beckham inevitably would end up on the field together, their partnership could be incredible from a football perspective. It remains to be seen how much of Beckham's exit was due to issues with head coach Kevin Stefanski, which may complicate a potential reunion, but the Browns have been internally discussing moving for Odell Beckham Jr once again.
Assuming they pulled it over the line, the Browns would definitely be better off for it, as a receiving duo of Beckham and Amari Cooper would likely be incredibly productive regardless of who throws them the ball.
1. Los Angeles Rams
The most natural fit for Odell Beckham Jr. is where he began the offseason, with the Rams. After moving to join Sean McVay’s offense thanks in part to a certain YouTube video, Beckham blossomed and was a key figure in the stretch run for the Rams after Robert Woods, who has since been traded to Tennessee, went down with his own ACL injury.
With Woods out of the picture, Beckham would figure to maintain his role in the offense once healthy. Keeping him loaded with targets is the surest way to keep him happy, and Sean McVay will absolutely feed him the ball, making the Rams probably the best overall fit for Odell Beckham Jr. in 2022.
