Odell Beckham Jr.’s time with the Cleveland Browns came to an end last November when he was placed on waivers. It was the latest turbulent stop for the talented but mercurial wide receiver and many wondered who would be willing to take a chance on bringing Beckham Jr. into their locker room.
The answer came when Beckham cleared waivers and quickly signed a team-friendly one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams. On the day that Beckham arrived at the Rams’ facility, the team lost wide receiver Robert Woods for the season to an ACL tear in practice.
Beckham caught 27 passes for 305 yards, five touchdowns and 18 first downs in the final eight games of the regular season and then had 19 receptions for 236 yards with a touchdown as the Rams beat Arizona, Tampa Bay and San Francisco to advance to the Super Bowl. He caught nine passes for 113 yards in a 20-17 victory in the NFC title game against the 49ers.
Kevin O’Connell, then the Rams’ offensive coordinator and now head coach of the Vikings, was asked about Beckham’s contributions in the days before the Rams faced Cincinnati in the Super Bowl.
“I give Odell so much credit. He’s been such a joy to be around,” O’Connell said. “I said it earlier this week that I think the greatest thing for me has been learning about the person. He’s an unbelievable person, his teammates love him and then, also, he loves football. When you’re as talented as Odell is, you love football and your teammates love being around you in our culture here, you’ve got a great chance for success because everything else will take care of itself with those type of traits.
” … In the end here it was really up to Odell to come in and do all of that so he deserves all the credit. I think our guys around him on the offense, the rest of our coaching staff would say that Odell deserves all the credit for buying in and being a critical factor in our success from the time he got here.”
Beckham continued to contribute to the Rams’ success in the Super Bowl, catching two passes for 52 yards and a touchdown before crumpling to the turf late in the second quarter with what turned out to be a torn left anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
The injury was a major setback at the time, especially since he had torn the same ACL in October 2020, while with the Browns, but now his absence from an NFL roster will turn into an opportunity. Beckham is a free agent with a list of potential suitors ready to pursue him. That includes the Buccaneers, Packers, Bills and Chiefs, according to NFL.com.
It would make sense to add at least one more team to the list: The Vikings.
If you begin to connect the dots on this one it’s more than reckless speculation to come to the conclusion that the Vikings would have interest in Beckham and he, in turn, would reciprocate that. Why?
- The O’Connell connection. Clearly, he had a good relationship with the Vikings’ coach and, more importantly, he had success playing in a system from which O’Connell has borrowed heavily in Minnesota.
- Beckham has plenty of friends in a Vikings locker room that includes fellow LSU alums Danielle Hunter, Ed Ingram, Patrick Peterson and, most importantly, Pro Bowl receiver Justin Jefferson. Jefferson has said that he and Beckham are “like brothers” and Jefferson even wore a “Free Odell” sweatshirt before a game last season as Beckham was looking to get out of Cleveland. You think Jefferson hasn’t been in frequent contact with Beckham of late?
- The Vikings are off to a 5-1 start, but it’s clear O’Connell’s offense isn’t as explosive as he would like. Beckham could help change that and also create more opportunities against defenses that are often hyper-focused on Jefferson. Adam Thielen remains a reliable target for Kirk Cousins, but he’s averaging a career-low 9.8 yards per catch. Last season, in 14 games between the Browns and Rams, Beckham averaged 12.2 yards per reception. Third wide receiver, K.J. Osborn, hasn’t contributed as much as some expected and tight end Irv Smith Jr., has been inconsistent.
- The Vikings play their home games indoors, as the Rams do at SoFi Stadium. Beckham seven-plus seasons with the Giants and Browns outdoors and joining a team such as Buffalo or Green Bay, late in the season, might not be his top choice.
Beckham, 29, would come with risks that go beyond his knee issues. He has never been afraid to express himself when things aren’t going as he would like and Cousins’ conservative nature in the passing game might get on his nerves.
The counter to that is O’Connell and Jefferson’s presence could go a long way toward keeping Beckham happy. And if Jefferson continues to be the focus of double-teams, Beckham could become the type of target he did for Matthew Stafford last season as teams focused on Cooper Kupp. That didn’t stop Kupp from excelling but it certainly created opportunities for Beckham.
The Vikings’ biggest obstacle in making a pitch for OBJ would be a lack of salary-cap space. They are currently last in the league with only $358,261 available but cap guru Rob Brzezinski could move enough money around to make something work, especially if Beckham wants to be here. Could or would the Vikings give Beckham a multiyear contract? That remains to be seen.
The NFL’s website reported last week that Beckham was targeting the middle of November for his return to the field, meaning his signing isn’t likely until after the Nov. 1 NFL trade deadline, and ESPN reports that Beckham likely won’t be available to play until around mid-December.
But as he proved with his performance in the postseason, Beckham’s value can come in the biggest games and having him playing alongside Jefferson could put a smile on O’Connell’s face, not to mention a few ideas into his head about play calls he currently isn’t using.
Does any of this mean that Beckham will be wearing purple and gold for the first time since he left LSU? No. Does it mean the pieces could be in place for it to happen? Absolutely.
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Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com