Odell Beckham Jr. Signing Sweepstakes: Cowboys vs. Bills for Free Agent WR?
The longer free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. waits to make his decision, the more clarity there will be - maybe not clarity for the rest of us, as OBJ surely enjoys the theatrics of NFL free agency ... But surely clarity for him.
And one key area in which the fog will burn off and a vision will be revealed? Which potential bidders in the OBJ Sweepstakes he judges as Super Bowl contenders.
Beckham, who continues to rehab his way back from a knee injury sustained during last season's Rams win in the Super Bowl, has essentially made it clear that the Buffalo Bills are on his landing spot wish list. And the Bills talk pretty openly about it.
"If we think he can help this team,'' Bills general manager Brandon Beane said, "we’d be crazy not to at least look into it.''
Bills star Von Miller, Beckham's teammate with the Rams, has essentially promised the receiver is coming to Buffalo. And OBJ has added to the drama by posing social media questions about where his locker would be at Bills HQ.
He also at one point failed to include the Dallas Cowboys on a playful social-media list. More recently, though, Dallas legend Michael Irvin indicated that he'd spoken to OBJ and that the two-time All-Pro is "interested'' in the Cowboys.
As Dallas COO Stephen Jones said right around trade-deadline time, as the Cowboys fell short of acquiring Houston's Brandin Cooks: Trades "aren't the only way you acquire players."
Hmm.
Why should there be real buzz with the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills and not many others? What about the Bucs, the Rams, the Packers? If Beckham wishes to join a true Super Bowl contender, he might look at the standings and X them out. A reunion with the Giants? He'd have to wonder if their record is a mirage. The Chiefs? A contender for certain, but one that just traded for Kadarius Toney.
Beane offered up an endorsement of Beckham's talent while also honestly addressing some of the issues that must be dealt with. For one, will his knee really be healed in time to play this month? Next month? And for others ..
“OBJ is a heck of a talent,'' said Beane. “You have to remember there’s financials, there’s roles, there’s all sorts of things that would all have to line up. But yeah, you can – a guy of his talent, of course, we would look into that.”
There's "financials,'' meaning, "Does he really want a Michael Gallup-like $13 million APY?'' There's "roles,'' meaning, "Will he bow to where Buffalo's Stefon Diggs and Dallas' CeeDee Lamb are positioned on their respective teams' depth charts''? There's "all sorts of things,'' meaning, well, you know ... drama.
The list might be short. And Beckham would be "crazy'' to not prioritize the thought of joining a contender. Like Buffalo. Or like Dallas.
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