The 2023 NFL free agency period is firing off at a breakneck pace. While some players will return to their current teams, most players, especially the larger names, will look for a new landing spot, as is the case with WR Odell Beckham Jr. As one of the biggest names at his position, what are some possible landing spots for OBJ for the 2023 season?
Odell Beckham Jr. Free Agency Best Fits
As part of a very shallow wide receiver free agency class, there’s a case to be made that Beckham, assuming full health, is the best option on the open market. He joins a list including recently released Adam Thielen, JuJu Smith-Schuster (New England Patriots), Allen Lazard (New York Jets), DJ Chark, Jarvis Landry, Mecole Hardman, and others.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport stated, “Odell Beckham Jr. wants to remind teams he is still really good, and he is finally healthy from that ACL tear that he suffered last year in the Super Bowl.” Last week Beckham held a workout in Arizona for NFL teams. According to reports, he looked great, meaning there should be no shortage of teams looking to add him during free agency.
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The selling point for Beckham is not what he showed on the field but what he can bring with another five or so months of rehab and training. That could be a very special player, which is why he landed in the top 30 of our NFL Top 100 Free Agents.
With OBJ refuting claims that he’s asking for $20 million, we will have to see what team with enough salary cap space steps up to the plate and takes a shot on him, as he could turn into one of the top signings of the free agency period.
Dallas Has Been Publicly Interested in Beckham
One of the worst-kept secrets in the league was the mutual interest between the Dallas Cowboys and Beckham last year. The organization made it very clear they wanted to bring in OBJ if his health was at a point where he could help the team and play a big role alongside CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.
According to Todd Archer of ESPN, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has had indirect contact with the wide receiver and has spoken with Beckham’s mother. “He’s somebody that I have the same kind of interest that I had in him during the season,” Jones stated.
The feeling is mutual as well. ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that OBJ “would love to play in Dallas” this coming season. “He’s a perfect personality fit. He’s a massive star. The Cowboys are America’s Team,” Fowler said on Get Up. “It makes too much sense.”
The wide receiver market got off to a slow start on the opening days of free agency, but that could quickly pick up with Beckham leading the way on a likely lucrative contract. And that’s a deal Jones would be more than happy to fund to bring a championship back to the franchise.
Could Beckham Join Aaron Rodgers in New York?
Aaron Rodgers is going to the New York Jets. It’s just a matter of time. Similar to what we saw with Tom Brady heading to Tampa Bay, this is a franchise-altering move, and typically you see teams bring in a load of talent in subsequent moves. Rodgers once said that people weren’t coming to Green Bay because it’s a destination. They were coming to play with him.
That same notion applies here, except there is the additional draw to New York. Reports are swirling that not only is Rodgers coming close to signing, but he allegedly gave the Jets a list of players he would like them to target. While Rodgers denied this on the Pat McAfee Show, it’s certainly interesting that the Jets signed Lazard. But also on that list, according to ESPN NFL insider Diana Russini, is Beckham.
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That should come as no surprise, as Rodgers and Beckham have each expressed mutual respect and have been linked several times. While Garrett Wilson is a superstar in the making and Elijah Moore is as underrated as it gets, the Jets will go all in on surrounding Rodgers and could bolster the depth chart in addition to Lazard with the likes of Randall Cobb or OBJ.
Throw in a great offensive line and team full of budding stars in CB Sauce Garder and RB Breece Hall, and the Jets could make a case for the No. 2 spot in the division.
Beckham Could Push the Buffalo Bills Over the Top
The Buffalo Bills need another playmaker. Stefon Diggs is one of the best in the game, but the up-and-down play of Gabe Davis shined a light on the lack of high-end depth at the team’s wide receiver position. After seeing how loaded the AFC has become, that is a massive concern.
Pairing Beckham with Josh Allen and Diggs would be a match made in heaven, and the ties are already in place for this to happen — much of which has gone under the radar. On February 15, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that the Bills were hiring veteran WR coach Adam Henry to fill the same role. This is significant, as Henry not only was at LSU when Beckham was there but was also around him in New York and Cleveland.
Following the Bills’ Divisional Round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, adding more firepower is an offseason must for GM Brandon Beane. Following the release of Isaiah McKenzie, it’s even more of a priority. With Henry in the building, the path is set for Beckham to join Buffalo as they try to reach the mountaintop.
If his health is no longer a concern, OBJ would be the most enticing addition you could ask for in Buffalo, which is a top landing spot.
Will New England Pursue Beckham To Rebuild Their WR Room?
If not for Beckham, the case could be made that New England Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers was the top free agent wide receiver available. Undrafted out of North Carolina State, Meyers accounted for 804 yards and six touchdowns on 67 of 96 receiving to lead the team last season.
But unfortunately for the Patriots, Meyers will not return, as he signed a three-year, $33 million contract with $21 million guaranteed with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. Interestingly enough, that’s nearly the exact same contract the Patriots gave JuJu Smith-Schuster, meaning they chose one over the other.
While Smith-Schuster helps, the Patriots are in desperate need of pass catchers. He will fill the void left by Meyers, but that’s not adding anything extra; it’s just replacing talent. Currently, the depth chart boasts DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton, and Kendrick Bourne at receiver.
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In a division where Josh Allen and the Bills, Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins, and likely Aaron Rodgers and the Jets comprise six of New England’s games in the regular season, the Pats are comfortably fourth in the AFC East unless they make drastic additions to their roster.
While he wouldn’t completely fix things and is just a large part of an even larger puzzle, Beckham, alongside Smith-Schuster, would make a difference for the Patriots. New England is a landing spot that makes too much sense and is one of the best fits from a need standpoint.
