Here are the Tigers in the league that could see a big pay day this offseason.
It was a great year for Tigers in the NFL. Most notably, quarterback Joe Burrow had a dominant second season, and after being reunited with Ja’Marr Chase, the pair led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl, losing a close game to the Los Angeles Rams.
However, that resulted in Super Bowl rings for another pair of LSU football alumni in Odell Beckham Jr. and Andrew Whitworth.
Now the offseason is upon us, and we’re just over two weeks away from the beginning of NFL free agency on March 16. When the time comes for unrestricted free agents to sign new contracts, there will be several former LSU players that will be among the top options available.
Touchdown Wire ranked the top 30 potential free agents on both offense and defense, and three Tigers players cracked the list. Here’s where each stands.
They were once teammates on the New York Giants roster, but on Super Bowl Sunday they will face off against one another. Eli Apple joined the Giants in the 2016 season after being drafted No. 10 overall.
Odell Beckham Jr had already been with the Giants for two seasons after being selected as the No. 12 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. OBJ and the Rams are looking to win Super Bowl LIV on their home turf against Apple’s Bengals at SoFi Stadium.
Apple left the Giants when he was traded to the New Orleans Saints in the middle of the 2018 season. Following that 2018 season, Beckham Jr made his way to the Cleveland Browns via trade. Now former teammates are on their third (OBJ) and fourth (Apple) teams.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
They faced off on the practice field for those two-plus seasons together in New York. Now, Apple wants to cover his former teammate in the Super Bowl. In the three playoff games, Apple was graded with 55.4 against Las Vegas, 62.2 against Tennessee, and 61.3 against Kansas City according to Pro Football Focus. Apple’s season grade for Cincinnati was 61.0 in coverage and 60.8 overall. That number is one of the worst of his career over six seasons.
Quarterbacks have an NFL passer rating of 95.4 when targeting Apple. He allows 12.6 yards per reception and surrendered 200 yards after the catch this season.
We have seen this before, but of course, this is only one example of the matchup from their Giants’ days. If he gets his way, could this be a preview of things to come?
Apple did have some big plays as of late in helping to get the Bengals into the Super Bowl. You have to love the confidence in his abilities to try and lock down one of the top receivers in the game. Cooper Kupp draws most of the attention for good reason, but OBJ has been a huge addition since joining the Rams in November.
In the playoffs, Beckham has 19 receptions for 236 yards and one touchdown. He is averaging 12.4 yards per reception. You might get your wish Eli Apple, now see if you can stop him.
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