NFC EAST RIVALS COWBOYS AND GIANTS HOPEFUL OF SIGNING OBJ
Former New York Giant and now Super Bowl champion, Odell Beckham Jr is a free-agent wide receiver and arguably the most coveted weapon on the free-agent market.
Beckham, an All-World receiver and a three-time Pro Bowler has not had a taste of football since he tore his ACL in the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams on February 13th, but that hasn’t stopped teams from showing real interest in signing the star wideout. Beckham just turned 30 this month and is looking to make a return to Pro Football after nine months on the sidelines. Cleared to return to football this week, Beckham is “aiming to sign with a team by the end of the month” as per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
One of the frontrunners scrambling to sign up the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year is a team in the same division as the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys owner/General Manager Jerry Jones is keen on making Beckham’s signing official and the club is doing its best to let him know that they’re interested in his services. “Odell is someone that we have all the appreciation in the world for and what he is as a competitor,” said Jones on 103.5 The Fan. “I know the Cowboys star on that helmet, when he puts it on, could look pretty good.”
“We should be aware that he’s coming off of this injury but he showed that he could do it, and do it well, last year [with the Rams]. That would go in the mix real good. His past dealing with adversity of injury and rehab, I think that tells you a lot. I think a veteran player, such as Odell, my experience has been when we’ve brought a veteran player in, they hit the ground running in terms of being able to compete. I think that you’re looking at a player [whose] experience far outweighs any of that ambiguity involved with how he’s going to fit your system.”
The Cowboys are usually reluctant to speak on prospective free agents for competitive reasons but have leaned into the links with Beckham, who played three seasons from 2019 to 2021 with the Browns in Cleveland. Head coach Mike McCarthy said: “[I’ve] always been a huge fan of his. From Ben McAdoo, Joe Whitt, all the guys from the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, all the guys have nothing but great things to say about him. I have always been impressed with his football-playing ability. I have heard so many excellent things about him over the years.”
Beckham said two years ago regarding the Cowboys: “All of my family grew up in Texas so they are all huge Cowboy fans. It has always been kind of a funny story with them as far as being in New York and them being in Dallas. I do not have any animosity, hate, or rivalry with them.”
So far, Beckham has yet to plan a visit with the Dallas Cowboys and has not been in conversation with the organization. The Cowboys are still looking to add to one of the league’s most curious offenses and to a receiver room that has top receiver talent in Ceedee Lamb and Michael Gallup, who is finding his form after tearing his ACL in January last season.
Beckham’s former team, the New York Giants are also interested in bringing him back to East Rutherford, New Jersey, as Giants general manager Joe Schoen confirmed a few weeks ago on the Tiki and Tierney show that the organization was in contact with Beckham’s representatives.
“We’re going to do our due diligence all the time,” Schoen said. “And he’s a guy that we’ve reached out to his representatives. We’re in contact with his representatives [on] where he is on his rehab, where he’s projected to be in, whether it’s four weeks from now or five weeks in terms of his health, when he’s going to be available again.”
“He tore that ACL in February so, his timeline, we’ve got to figure out what that is, when he’s going to be 100% healthy, what he’s looking for financially. There’s a lot of stuff that goes into it. Anybody that’ll upgrade our roster at any position, we’re going to pursue and he checks that box and he’s a guy that we’re going to continue to stay in contact with.”
The Giants drafted Beckham 12th overall in 2014 before the team traded him to Cleveland in 2019. While once upon a time it seemed impossible to have a Giants-Beckham reunion, today is a new day in New York. The Giants are at the dawn of a new regime, Dave Gettleman and Pat Shurmur are no longer with the organization and Beckham has always maintained a close relationship with Giants owner John Mara. This leaves the door open for new opportunities and possibilities.
Beckham also played all his five seasons on the Giants with three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning, whose father and lifelong Giants fan, Archie Manning said on Wednesday this week that he “would like to see” an Odell Beckham-Giants reunion.
“I’ve always admired Odell’s ability,” Archie told the New York Post. “I know he’s had a couple of injuries, but you know Odell’s ability is such that he can come back from an injury and still be a great athlete. I frankly have always said that Odell never should have left New York. I would like to see it, Odell will certainly make plays [for the Giants]. And I think sometimes as you get older you get wiser, you know?”
The 7-2 Giants still need help at the receiver position especially after trading away 2021 first-round pick receiver Kadarius Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs a few weeks ago. The Giants have also lost Sterling Shepard to a season-ending ACL injury and currently don’t have an elite no.1 wide receiver.
New York’s star running back Saquon Barkley attended Beckham’s 30th birthday during the Giants’ bye week and said last Friday: “He’s a heck of a player. He’s more focused on continuing to attack his rehab, get ready. He’s a special player and he’s still got a lot left in the tank. I know how he is already with his mindset. When he is able to come back, he’s going to show his skill set. He’s Odell. When he’s healthy, [he’s] one of the best players in the league. Why wouldn’t anybody want him on their team?”
While Beckham suiting up with the Big Blue again would add some explosiveness to their Saquon Barkley-reliant offense, it’s still difficult to see why he would want a return to New York at this moment in time. At 30 years old, Beckham is looking to add another championship to his resume and would want to sign with an immediate contender. Although at 7-2 to start the season, the Giants are not exactly your favorites to get to the Super Bowl. The team also has a tight salary cap situation that will likely make signing Beckham extremely challenging.
The Buffalo Bills have also been mentioned in the race for Odell Beckham Jr as have the Green Bay Packers. Beckham’s former team, the Los Angeles Rams are also in the running to bring back Beckham and possibly reunite the Kupp-Beckham dynamic duo. Whoever it is will have to draw up a multi-year deal, as preferred by Beckham.
“Whether it’s Buffalo, whether it was Green Bay calling, or the Cowboys, or a reunion with the Giants,” Beckham told Complex Sports a couple of weeks ago. “I want to be able to spill like my last – I’m not saying I only got three or four left – but these next three, four years into something where I can buy a home. Like I can call this place home. I’m tired of living out of too many suitcases.”
“My mom sent me this article the other day that was kind of just attacking me [saying] ‘Teams only want him for the name.’ GMs of teams that are all going to the playoffs, teams that are 6-2, 7-0, the top teams are calling. It’s not like any just team is calling because people know what I can do on the field.”
As per an October 19th ESPN report, Beckham is not going to be healthy enough to play until mid-December but having been cleared to return, the race to sign the star wideout is well and truly on. Whether it will be the Cowboys that get him, the Giants, or any other team, the next few weeks will be interesting as teams try to add one more weapon in time for the most crucial half of the regular season and the postseason.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.