Should Buccaneers Target Odell Beckham Jr. After Jalen McMillan's Injury?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were expecting big things from wideout Jalen McMillan this year, but it looks like they'll have to wait — again.

McMillan missed most of 2025 with a neck injury he suffered during the preseason that year, and now, he's set to miss anywhere from 6-8 more weeks with a knee injury he re-aggravated during Tampa Bay's loss to the Vikings in Week 3, per ESPN's Jenna Laine.

Update: It’s a PCL sprain for Bucs wide receiver Jalen McMillan, per source. The second opinion will give much more clarity on the timetable for recovery, but the early thinking is this could be 6-8 weeks, which factors in his previous timetable.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) September 28, 2026

With that in mind, the Bucs are now down McMillan for the foreseeable future. They went one game without him in Week 1, but ideally, they shouldn't want to go too long without the depth at wideout, and they'll need to figure out how to replace him in the offense going forward.

As it so happens, another receiver is now on the market. Former New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams (among other teams) star Odell Beckham Jr. was released by the Giants after a very short second stint that included just three games, and he's once again on the open market. The Bucs just lost McMillan and have a need at receiver, so the two incidents could potentially line up with each other.

Would Beckham be a good fit in Tampa Bay?

Should the Buccaneers Sign Odell Beckham Jr.?

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) runs onto the field to begin a week one opening game | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Absolutely not.

The Giants released Beckham after just three games in which he did not record a single catch. Beckham has not had a truly productive season since 2019 in Cleveland, which is also the last time he started more than 7 games. He's had eight touchdowns in the last six seasons — McMillan had eight touchdowns in 2024 alone.

There's also the matter of who he'd be playing with. Beckham was the No. 1 option for Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield in Cleveland, and tensions between those two players during that time led to a falling-out that caused the Browns to release Beckham entirely midway through the 2021 season.

It's probably safe to say that the Bucs would be unwise to reunite Mayfield and Beckham, given that history alone.

Finally, the Bucs have plenty of depth to fill in for McMillan. Wideout Ted Hurst has already caught a touchdown this year and can play outside, and the Bucs are also set to get David Sills V off IR after their Week 4 matchup vs. the Green Bay Packers. And even if the team doesn't go in-house, they still have better options than a 33-year old Beckham whose best playing days are far, far behind him.

The Buccaneers will face off against the Packers this Sunday at 1 p.m.

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