Tag: Odell Beckham Jr

Chris Grier says ‘nothing in the works’ to sign Odell Beckham Jr.

Dolphins GM Chris Grier says a deal with Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t coming any time soon.

The Miami Dolphins are not close to signing free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. any time soon, general manager Chris Grier told reporters Tuesday.

“Nothing imminent on it,” Grier said at a pre-draft press conference. “We’ve had some discussions back and forth a little bit, but as of right now, there’s nothing in the works to get anything done.”

Beckham, 31, visited the Dolphins in March shortly after becoming a free agent. Shortly after the visit, Miami head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters that the team was working toward bringing the receiver to South Florida.

“I’m definitely ready to coach him if we can come to an agreement, and I think both sides are trying to work towards that,” McDaniel said.

Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill stoked the flames earlier this month when he posted on social media that Beckham joining the Dolphins was “confirmed.” Beckham tweeted that he was “confused” by suggestions that he signed with a team.

While Miami has a pair of electric receivers in Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the team struggled to find production from another receiver in 2023. Tight end Durham Smythe was the team’s third leading receiver with 366 yards, while Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Braxton Berrios both finished with less than 300 yards.

Beckham played with the Baltimore Ravens during the 2023 season and finished the year with 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns.

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Dolphins reportedly ‘trying pretty hard’ to sign Odell Beckham Jr.

The Dolphins’ pursuit of Odell Beckham Jr. is reportedly ongoing.

The Miami Dolphins are “trying pretty hard” to sign free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

“They’ve made him at least one contract offer, possibly two,” Fowler said on NFL Live on Friday. “They’ve been in contact with [Beckham] and his representatives; they’re not quite there yet. There has not been that financial gulf bridged. Odell Beckham is willing to wait if he has to a little a bit, he has done this in the past. He wants to go to the right fit. But there’s interest mutually in Miami.”

Beckham receiving a contract offer from the Dolphins isn’t a new development. Miami head coach Mike McDaniel said as much when he spoke to reporters at the NFL annual meeting in March.

Talks of the receiver joining the Dolphins ramped up Friday when wide receiver Tyreek Hill posted on social media “OBJ to Miami confirmed.” Beckham seemingly reacted to the media storm set off by Hill with a tweet that said he was “confused” to hear his name pop up Friday.

Still, it seems a very real possibility that the Dolphins will add Beckham to their receiving corps after struggling to find production out of anyone other than Hill and Jaylen Waddle during the 2023 season.

Beckham, 31, finished last season with 35 receptions for 565 and three touchdowns while with the Baltimore Ravens. He sat out the entire 2022 season after suffering an ACL tear in Super Bowl LVI.

In nine NFL seasons, Beckham has earned three trips to the Pro Bowl and has 566 career receptions for 7,932 yards and 59 touchdowns.

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Odell Beckham Jr. has ‘confused’ reaction to Dolphins rumors

Tyreek Hill got the NFL rumor mill spinning Friday, which left Odell Beckham Jr. scratching his head.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill got the NFL rumor mill spinning Friday morning when he teased on social media that free agent Odell Beckham Jr. was about to be his newest teammate.

That came as news to Beckham, though.

With plenty of people taking Hill’s post to mean that a deal for Beckham with the Dolphins was imminent, the free agent wide receiver had a puzzled reaction to the news cycle.

Beckham, 31, visited the Dolphins in March and received a contract offer from the team, according to head coach Mike McDaniel.

“We did make him an offer and business takes time, especially with players like Odell, who’s had a phenomenal career and still has really good football in front of him and has options,” McDaniel said at the league meeting in March. “I think those conversations will be ongoing. We’ll see where they go.”

In nine seasons in the NFL, Beckham has recorded 566 receptions for 7,932 yards and 59 touchdown receptions. He sat out the entire 2022 season after suffering an ACL tear in the Super Bowl and returned to play the 2023 season with the Baltimore Ravens.

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Tyreek Hill teases Dolphins adding WR Odell Beckham Jr.

Tyreek Hill says “OBJ to Miami confirmed.”

In March, the Miami Dolphins hosted Odell Beckham Jr. on a visit and, according to head coach Mike McDaniel, made a contract offer to the free agent wide receiver.

Two weeks later, there’s no further indication that a deal could come together, but Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill appears to think it’s coming soon. On his Snapchat story, Hill said Friday that Beckham joining Miami is “confirmed.”

“Things went great with him,” McDaniel said of Beckham in late March. “We did make him an offer and business takes time, especially with players like Odell, who’s had a phenomenal career and still has really good football in front of him and has options. I think those conversations will be ongoing. We’ll see where they go.”

Beckham, 31, sat out the entire 2022 season after suffering an ACL tear in Super Bowl LVI, but returned in 2023 on a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens. In his sole season with the team, the receiver recorded 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns.

In his nine seasons in the NFL, Beckham has recorded 566 receptions for 7,932 yards and 59 touchdown receptions.

While the Dolphins have a star duo of receivers in Hill and former top 10 draft pick Jaylen Waddle, the team has seen little production out of the rest of its receiving corps. Hill and Waddle combined for more than 2,800 receiving yards in 2023, but no other wide receiver on the team topped 300 yards.

In addition to their interest in Beckham, the Dolphins have reportedly kept an eye on former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd.

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Dolphins salary-cap restraints won’t keep them away from Odell Beckham Jr.

Miami’s HC says they gave star WR an offer.

This was a bit of a reset offseason for the Miami Dolphins.

That’s not much of a secret, considering they were unable to retain a number of key free agents, including Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt and Andrew Van Ginkel, who all left for better deals that Miami was willing to offer.

At the annual league meetings, head coach Mike McDaniel admitted the team has been working within the parameters set by the league’s salary cap.

“It all comes back to the fact that there’s a finite salary cap,” McDaniel said (transcribed by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel). “And sometimes, we can’t be the kid spending the money. We have to be the parents that have to look at our budget and make sure we can pay the water bill.”

Still, the parents sometimes want to get that dessert or that new toy. For Miami, that luxury right now is wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who the team had in for a visit last week.

“Things went great with him,” McDaniel said on Monday. “We did make him an offer, and business takes time, especially with players such as Odell, who’s had a phenomenal career, still has really good football in front of him and has options. So, I think those conversations will be ongoing. We’ll see where they go.”

Behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins lack experience at the position. At the moment, the rest of the room is filled by Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft, Erik Ezukanma, Braylon Sanders, Anthony Schwartz and Mathew Sexton.

Beckham, despite clearly not being the same player he was during his early years with the New York Giants partially due to age and injuries, could still bring a lot to Miami’s offense.

Last season, the three-time Pro Bowler recorded 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns. Cedrick Wilson Jr. held the third receiver role for the Dolphins last season and brought in just 22 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns.

Dolphins to host WR Odell Beckham Jr. on visit Thursday

OBJ visiting the MIA.

A full week into NFL free agency, the Miami Dolphins are still looking for a third wide receiver to slide in behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on their depth chart.

However, it appears that general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel might have their eyes on a Super Bowl champion.

According to CBS’ Josina Anderson, the Dolphins are currently set to host former Baltimore Ravens wideout Odell Beckham Jr. for a visit on Thursday.

Beckham, 31, was originally selected by the New York Giants with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft out of LSU. After five seasons with New York, where he made three Pro Bowls and two Second-team All-Pros, he joined the Cleveland Browns for 2.5 seasons before being released.

The former Tiger signed with the Los Angeles Rams for the rest of the 2021 season, helping the team win a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL in the game, causing him to miss all of the 2022 season.

Beckham spent last season with the Baltimore Ravens, recording 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games.

A year removed from his ACL injury, Beckham may be ready to make more of an impact than he did in Baltimore. But, considering his age and injury history, it’s hard to imagine that he recaptures that magic that made him a Pro Bowler.

Still, with Hill and Waddle in front of him, this could just be the perfect situation for him.

ESPN pins Odell Beckham Jr. as next player Saints should sign

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell says the New Orleans Saints would be a “perfect fit” for free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. A homecoming could make sense:

The free agency period never fails to disappoint year in and year out, and 2024 proved no different. But there are still multiple talented players left unsigned by an NFL team and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell views wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as the perfect pick for who the New Orleans Saints should pick up next.

Despite an overall lack of production in 2023, Barnwell still sees value in the talent Beckham brings to the table.

“While he didn’t get steady volume, Beckham was efficient when on the field, averaging 2.2 yards per route run, which ranked 19th among receivers who ran 200 routes or more,” he wrote. “His efficiency was in line with Tank Dell and Jayden Reed, but he only ran about 18 routes per game to Reed’s 23 and Dell’s 27. If a team thinks Beckham can expand his role and retain his efficiency, there’s the potential for the 31-year-old to be more of a legitimate WR2 in 2024.”

Sending him back to Louisiana is something Barnwell looks at as kind of poetic in a way, considering that Beckham Jr. played college football for the LSU Tigers. And before that, he played out his high school career at Isidore Newman in New Orleans.

“Call me a romantic, but getting Beckham back home would be a natural way for the former LSU star to wind down his NFL career,” Barnwell said.

The fit is there for the Saints after the team released one of its most prominent wide receivers. Barnwell continued: “The Saints have a need for a second wideout after releasing Michael Thomas. Rashid Shaheed will take more snaps as the team’s designated deep threat and Cedrick Wilson is in town after disappointing over the last two years in Miami, but Beckham would fit in as part of the rotating cast behind third-year star Chris Olave, especially if the price tag is about half of what it was for the Ravens a year ago.”

Beckham has played for four teams over his NFL career and it is easy to get the sense that his time on the field is coming to a close as Barnwell notes, but he could still be in asset to the Saints in that time frame. The Saints made a run at Beckham before, which he characterized as the “right place, wrong time” for his career before joining a Los Angeles Rams squad that went on to win a Super Bowl.

Beckham finished out the 2023 season for the Ravens with 35 receptions for 565 yards with 3 touchdowns, seeing action in all 14 games. Whether or not he gets the opportunity to bring some solidity to the Saints’ wide receivers room will be something to keep an eye on.

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Two AFC teams suggested as possible Michael Thomas landing spots

All signs point to Michael Thomas leaving the Saints. If he becomes a free agent, ESPN reports that the Ravens are seen as a good fit for him:

Where is Michael Thomas going to play football inn 2024? All signs point to the New Orleans Saints splitting ways with their longtime wideout, whose career has been interrupted by a series of frustrating injuries and subpar quarterback play in the years after Drew Brees’ retirement. The Saints must choose whether to extend Thomas’ contract or release him from it when free agency begins in a few weeks.

And that’s going to give Thomas his first opportunity to choose his team since the Saints drafted him out of Ohio State back in 2016. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there are two squads in the AFC who could be good matches for Thomas:

Michael Thomas‘ contract with the Saints is set to void, making him a free agent. A few scouts pointed out Baltimore as a good fit. The Ravens likely won’t re-sign Odell Beckham Jr., and they value established veterans at the receiver position. But a reunion with former New Orleans coach Sean Payton in Denver also makes sense. “When he’s out there and healthy, he affects the game,” an NFC scout said.

Of those two options, Baltimore feels far more likely. Thomas would immediately have seniority in their young receiving corps while working into their offense as a reliable possession receiver. He could mentor younger teammates like Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman just like he has helped guide Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed in New Orleans. And the opportunity to work with Lamar Jackson, a two-time MVP, has to be appealing.

It would be a big surprise to see Thomas play for Payton again. One of the first missions Dennis Allen undertook as Saints head coach was travel cross-country to meet with Thomas and mend fences after the receiver’s relationship with Payton went up in flames. Much of Thomas’ grievances with the organization — dating back to his first injury, when he was rolled up on while blocking for a teammate in a blowout victory — trace back to Payton.

And if you’re curious, the Saints will host the Broncos for a home game at the Caesars Superdome in 2024, but they aren’t going to play the Ravens again until 2026 at the soonest. “Revenge games” are overblown narratives but it’s something to keep in mind depending on where Thomas ends up.

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Twitter reacts to RGIII saying Chiefs should sign Odell Beckham Jr.

Users on Twitter had mixed reactions to Robert Griffin III’s suggestion that the #Chiefs should sign Odell Beckham Jr.

The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to add a receiver during the 2024 offseason after their pass-catchers underwhelmed last year.

While Rashee Rice’s job is secure heading into next season, his positional running mates may be at risk of losing their spots on Kansas City’s roster.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III took to social media on Friday to give his take on the Chiefs’ receiver situation, suggesting that the reigning Super Bowl champions should sign Odell Beckham Jr. in the offseason.

Beckham played for the Baltimore Ravens last year after stints with the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns but didn’t achieve the prolific production that many fans in the Charm City expected.

Despite this, he remains one of the NFL’s most popular wide receivers and could benefit from playing with a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes in the twilight of his career.

Check out what users on Twitter thought about RGIII’s proposal below:

Odell Beckham Jr. consoled a visibly heartbroken Lamar Jackson after Ravens’ AFC title game collapse

Lamar Jackson deserved so much better.

Lamar Jackson is already one of the NFL’s most accomplished quarterbacks ever. In a few weeks, the electric talent will likely win his second career MVP award. But for a player of Jackson’s caliber, he’s undoubtedly much more concerned with competing for Super Bowls, not individual honors.

Unfortunately, after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday’s AFC title game, Jackson will have to wait at least another year. And he understandably doesn’t feel great about it.

After a clutch Marquez Valdes-Scantling catch cemented Baltimore’s defeat, Odell Beckham Jr. was seen comforting a clearly heartbroken Jackson. The superstar left it all on the field and still couldn’t take his team to the promised land:

The Ravens looked like they were destined for Super Bowl 58. They had everything, including a top-five quarterback. In almost any other year, the Ravens win and probably get their crowning moment in Las Vegas. But they didn’t. Still, chances are, they’ll be back in this exact spot next year with another shot at the Super Bowl.

Losing this one stings so much for Jackson, and you have to feel for him.