Report: Patriots had exploratory talks with Odell Beckham Jr.

The Patriots were thorough in exploring who was available at receiver.

The New England Patriots seemed to exhaust their options before electing to trade for receiver DeVante Parker, with the team exploring the possibility of adding receiver Odell Beckham Jr., per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Beckham tore his ACL in the Super Bowl, and may miss the majority (or all) of 2022. That’s likely why, after a resurgent finish to the season, he remains unsigned in free agency. Teams don’t know what to pay him because they don’t know if they’ll get anything from him this year.

New England, instead, went the route of adding Parker. The Patriots acquired him and a 2022 fifth-rounder in exchange for a 2023 third-rounder. Parker will make roughly $12.5 million over the next two years.

It’s still possible the Patriots could add Beckham, particularly if he lingers on the market into the regular season. But they may not want him until he’s clearly on track to play during the 2022 season.

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