TAMPA, FL – OCTOBER 01: Odell Beckham Jr. #13 of the New York Giants looks on during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. The Bucs defeated the Giants 25-23. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
The NFL league year is two days away but deals are flying in, and the San Francisco 49ers are chasing Odell Beckham Jr.
It was only a year ago when the San Francisco 49ers were making splashes in free agency with the signings of Jerrick McKinnon and Richard Sherman. They saw a window to win with new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and went after it. General Manager John Lynch sees that window is still wide open and are ready to go for it again. This time though it is through a trade.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller sent out this tweet earlier today.
Miller is originally talking about the 49ers signing former Tampa Bay Buccaneer linebacker Kwon Alexander. San Francisco made Alexander the NFL’s highest-paid off-ball linebacker in league history with a four-year, $54 million deal. With the seventh-most cap space in the NFL, they can afford to make plays like that.
After signing Alexander, San Francisco is preparing to make a run at the game’s top paid wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. of the Giants. New York has been hot and cold surrounding the Beckham trade rumors. There were reports that the New England Patriots almost made a deal for the star wide receiver last year.
All of this comes a year removed from Beckham signing a record contract that made him the highest-paid receiver at $18 million annually. However his off the field issues have always been a point of contention with the Giants management, including general manager David Gettleman. The former Panthers general manager has had no problem shipping off talented players for the sake of chemistry. Just this season he traded Damon Harrison and Eli Apple before letting safety Landon Collins leave via free agency.
The question surrounding Beckham is the asking price. New York is not going to let him go for pennies on the dollar. After seeing Antonio Brown go for third and fifth-round picks only a few days ago, the Giants are going to ask for significant compensation. The 49ers own the second-overall pick in the NFL draft, and that would certainly be significant.
On the field, Beckham would be an excellent fit in San Francisco. They lack a true number one wide receiver but have complimentary pieces. Beckham slots in as the top play maker for that offense and flanked well by elite tight end George Kittle and complimentary receivers Dante Pettis and Marquise Goodwin. Head coach Kyle Shanahan would be giddy to see that collection of talent on his offense.