The last time we saw Odell Beckham Jr. play in an NFL football game, he, unfortunately, tore his ACL during the Rams’ win over the Bengals in Super Bowl 56. The next time we see Beckham play in an NFL football game, he seems to be positioning himself to join one of the AFC favorites this season.
With Beckham Jr.’s recovery from that knee injury making quality progress, the current free-agent receiver is reportedly narrowing down his options to a couple of teams. Unsurprisingly, for a 29-year-old of his ability, he’s apparently limiting his decision to premium Super Bowl contenders.
Among them are Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs:
Chiefs regarded as strong contender for veteran free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., per league sources, as he contemplates options, continues to make steady progress in his recovery from torn ACL. Potential connection between OBJ and Patrick Mahomes is intriguing
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 19, 2022
Good lord. Imagine Mahomes launching bombs to a healthy Beckham downfield. Talk about a cheat code.
Of course, speculation has run rampant in recent weeks that the second team on Beckham’s mind is none other than the Chiefs’ biggest rival — those wagon-circling Buffalo Bills. And when Dez Bryant tagged the active star receiver on Twitter, asking him directly about a pending choice between Kansas City and Buffalo, Beckham played it coy.
He responded with a flurry of emojis that would be impossible to discern any real meaning from unless you were able to actually read his mind:
Bills or Chiefs @obj 👀
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) October 19, 2022
🫣🫡🫥🤐🤘🏾🫴🏽✍🏾👣🗣️🦾🏃🏾♂️
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) October 19, 2022
Good lord. Imagine Josh Allen launching bombs to a healthy Beckham downfield. Talk about a cheat code.
For what it’s worth, the Chiefs did restructure Travis Kelce’s contract on Tuesday, freeing up just about $3.4 million in cap space. According to Over The Cap, they now have $3.1 million for the 2022 season. That probably wouldn’t be sufficient for Beckham Jr. — even on a short-term deal. Though, it could also just be enough breathing room for this season while moving future cap hits to later years. When you’re “all-in” like the Chiefs, it’s worth moving the bill on the salary cap to the future.
We’ll know for sure whether Beckham wears Chiefs red (?) or Bills blue (?) likely soon. And if Beckham really does go to Kansas City or Buffalo — a player of his gifted ability very well might be the difference in what feels like an inevitable playoff battle between the two titans in January. When healthy, Beckham is, indeed, that good.
What a perfect midseason addition that would be.