With Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman, and Mike Evans all staying with their previous teams, Odell Beckham is suddenly one of the top free agent wide receivers on the open market. While he won’t secure the same type of paycheck as Calvin Ridley or Marquise Brown, the three-time Pro Bowler should receive a decent amount of interest from teams looking for another reliable pass-catcher.
It should go without saying that Odell Beckham is no longer a superstar, but the free agent proved that he can still be effective with the Baltimore Ravens. The 2014 Rookie of the Year finished his 2023 season with a relatively pedestrian 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns, but he came alive as the season progressed. According to Pro Football Focus, his 90.0 receiving grade from Weeks 9-14 was second in the NFL only to Tyreek Hill.
Beckham probably can’t maintain that level of play for an entire season, but he can be a solid second or third option in a passing attack. According Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, the Chiefs, 49ers, Jets, Rams, and Ravens should look into signing Odell Beckham as a free agent.
Meanwhile, I think the #Chiefs, #49ers, #Jets, #Rams or returning to the #Ravens are 5 good landing spots for OBJ, on mutually agreeable terms—in my opinion.
The first thing is getting Odell more involved in the offense, & also carving out his role. I know this from covering… pic.twitter.com/sslV7FJ794
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 6, 2024
NFL Insiders Lists 5 Free Agent Fits For Odell Beckham
Before we get into this, it’s important to note that Anderson is simply stating her opinion. This is not a report – as far as we know, Odell Beckham could sign with a completely different team as a free agent.
However, each one of these teams makes sense to some extent, especially the Baltimore Ravens. Beckham played well during his first season with Lamar Jackson, and it stands to reason that he can improve in Year 2. The wideout needed some time at the beginning of 2023 to knock off the rust, and now that he’s up to full strength, he and Zay Flowers can form a solid wide receiver duo.
With that being said, Baltimore might not be able to afford him. The list of Ravens free agents is a long, expansive one, and the team might need to find a cost-effective replacement for Beckham like Michael Thomas. If Odell Beckham leaves as a free agent, would the other four teams Anderson mentions make sense?
The New Teams
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs need another wide receiver in the worst way. While they managed to win their second Super Bowl without Tyreek Hill, the offense wasn’t the same for the majority of the regular season. The team owes their latest Lombardi to Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce finding the fountain of youth in January, and an opportunistic defense. Mahomes isn’t going anywhere, but Kelce is getting older, and defensive performance is highly volatile on a year-to-year basis. Odell Beckham shouldn’t be an overly expensive free agent and is an ideal third option behind Kelce and Rashee Rice.
Los Angeles Rams
When the Rams first acquired Odell Beckham as a free agent back in 2021, he was supposed to be the third option behind Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. However, Woods tore his ACL shortly after Beckham joined the team, opening the door for the wideout to play a huge role in the playoff run. Now, he can be the third option behind Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacau.
Nacau looks like a star in the making, and Kupp is a target hog on his own, so there might not be too many targets left over for Beckham. However, with Kupp battling injuries in each of the past two seasons, the team should find somebody who can step up if the wideout goes down again.
San Francisco 49ers
This one only makes sense if the 49ers trade Brandon Aiyuk. As currently constructed, this run-heavy team already has plenty of reliable receivers in Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and tight end George Kittle. Odell Beckham wouldn’t be anything more than the fourth option in this passing attack, and the free agent is probably looking for a bigger role on his next team.
New York Jets
Garrett Wilson is one of the best young receivers in the game, and a healthy version of Aaron Rodgers is still one of the NFL’s better quarterbacks. However, these two can’t do it alone, and the Jets should seriously consider signing Odell Beckham as a free agent. Allen Lazard was a colossal free agent bust and Beckham is a dramatically better player at this point in time.
Main Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck – USA Today Sports
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