Odell Beckham Jr. made the right decision to sign with the Los Angeles Rams after he cut ties with the Cleveland Browns as he is now heading to the Super Bowl. Truth be told, however, he almost didn't end up in LA.
The veteran wide receiver confessed as much on Monday when speaking to the media, revealing that he would have signed with the New England Patriots if Tom Brady was still there.
“Very. Very, very, very,” Beckham responded when asked about how close he was to choosing the Patriots in free agency, per CBS Boston. “I don’t think I joked with [Belichick] on the phone, but I was like, ‘You know, if this was three years ago, it would’ve been ideal.' Because Tom is one of the, he’s one of my favorite.”
Odell Beckham Jr. also shared his conversation with Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his admiration for the legendary tactician. He didn't hold back in his praise for the the veteran head coach, adding that he has always dreamed of playing for him.
“For a guy, coach, like Bill Belichick, who I’ve admired for years and I’ve seen and just always was like, ‘Man, one day I’m gonna play for Bill Belichick,' for him to call me, to be able to just sit down on the phone with him and talk football, I mean, it’s like, what more could you ask for?” the Rams wideout narrated. “So I was very close, that was one of the teams that was in there. But I felt like this was home. I felt like this was right.”
The Patriots were 5-4 when OBJ hit free agency after his release from the Browns, so it definitely would've been intriguing what would have happened had he chosen to sign with New England instead of the Rams.
Moreover, it is interesting to think if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would have chased for Beckham had the Antonio Brown saga happened earlier. With that, they would have a need for a wide receiver and given OBJ's affinity with Brady, it is not an unlikely scenario they could end up with him.
All of those are “What ifs” now, and for Beckham, he has found home in Los Angeles with the Rams. He is thriving with Matthew Stafford as his QB, and certainly, he couldn't have asked for anything better than that.
