Free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to be “at full health and signed” by early December, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, and the Green Bay Packers are expected to be one of the teams in the mix to sign him.
Joining the Packers are Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and even Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys.
The Packers struck out at the trade deadline and could use the help in the passing game, even if convincing Beckham Jr. to come to Green Bay and help a late-season playoff push might be a hard sell for a player with so many true contenders in the mix.
However, if the Packers start playing better and get back in position for the postseason, adding Beckham Jr. could be the perfect “hired gun” for a team that needs an explosive weapon at receiver.
Beckham Jr. tore his ACL during the Rams’ Super Bowl win in February. He caught 44 passes for 537 yards and five scores over 14 games with two teams (Browns, Rams) last season.
Over four games in the playoffs with Los Angeles, Beckham Jr. proved he’s still a difference-maker by catching 21 passes for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns while catching over 80 percent of his targets and averaging 11.1 yards per target.
Rapoport and Garafolo report that Beckham Jr. wants a “multi-year deal” and a place to finish his career, which might also complicate the task for the Packers. Aaron Rodgers has an uncertain future in football past the 2022 season and it’s unclear if the Packers would be willing to pay a premium price on a deal past this season.
General manager Brian Gutekunst made a run at signing Beckham Jr. last year after his release from the Browns, but he picked the Rams over a chance to play with Rodgers and Davante Adams in Green Bay. Los Angeles offered more money within the structure of the eventual deal.
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