“He wants a BIG multi-year deal”: Odell Beckham Jr. is looking for teams to offer him a contract similar to Michael Gallup
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Odell Beckham Jr.
We are nearly halfway through the 2022 NFL season and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. continues to remain a free agent. OBJ tore his ACL in the 2022 Super Bowl when he was still on the Los Angeles Rams. He is now ineligible to sign a new contract until November, as he cannot clear the physical test that is mandatory for any player before they sign with any team.
Though he may not be able to sign a contract officially, nothing stops Odell Beckham Jr. from considering his options. He has been on the lookout for which team he could play for as soon as he is able to make a return to the football field.
The Los Angeles Rams were initially his first choice but the contract talks between both sides seemed to be headed nowhere as the Rams were offering him the bare minimum and OBJ was looking for a long-term deal.
Teams across the NFL are skeptical about handing Odell Beckham Jr. a long-term deal:
The Rams share the concerns of other teams across the NFL that are interested in signing OBJ. He is just coming off of an ACL tear. There is no guarantee that he will be able to play the same way that he did before. Historically, we have seen ACL tears ruin the career of even the most talented athletes. In addition to this, Odell is adamant that he wants a long-term contract and he wants to get paid.
Signing the wideout who is just getting back after an ACL injury to a long-term deal is a risk that many NFL teams would abstain from taking. However, the way that Odell sees it, the team that takes a risk on him will get rewarded the most. He is essentially seeking a contract similar to that of Michael Gallup, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport stated.
“What he hoped was more of a Michael Gallup situation, where he tears his ACL, the team knows him, they believe in him. They offer him a big, multi-year deal taking into account that he tore his ACL and would not be back until mid-November, and then he was locked up and just had a team for the next several years,” Rapoport said.
Odell Beckham Jr. has not kept it a secret that he wants to be on the Rams. He loves Los Angeles and has business interests in the region as well, making it the perfect spot to be in. The LA Rams seem to be taking advantage of this, they know they have the advantage over the rest of the league as they are his first preference. The team is taking their time and so far; they have just spoken to him about a contract but have not offered him anything.
LA Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, on the other hand, has made it clear he wants OBJ back on the roster. He has indicated on numerous occasions that the team does intend to make an offer to the wide receiver sooner or later.
The Buffalo Bills are another organization that has caught Odell’s attention. With Josh Allen having himself a year to remember, the Bills have become the top landing spot for any wide receiver and considering Von Miller, who was on the Rams last year also signed with the Bills in the offseason, one cannot rule out the possibility of Odell landing up in Buffalo.
Michael Gallup had got a five-year deal worth $62.5 million at a time when he was rehabbing from a knee injury. The Dallas Cowboys showed faith in him and took a bet on him, which seems to be paying off well. However, the cases of OBJ and Gallup are different, as the latter receiver has already returned to the field and is playing. He is also just 26, while Odell is 30 years of age. This is the point when the performance of wideouts tends to begin to falter.
The Dallas Cowboys have no interest in signing OBJ, but there are a lot of teams that could use him. The Green Bay Packers need him the most as Aaron Rodgers is struggling to connect with his rookie receivers. Once OBJ is able to clear his physical, he will be able to negotiate with teams. Until then, all he can do is consider his options.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2235 Articles Published)