The Packers feel like a predestined landing spot for free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., but another team might block that from happening.
The Green Bay Packers and Odell Beckham Jr. feel like a really good match. Aaron Rodgers lost his star receiver, Davante Adams, in the offseason when Green Bay traded him to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now, Rodgers is without a clear first receiving option, and the Packers seem bullish on forcing the passing game even though they roster one of the best RBs in the league, Aaron Jones.
The leading receiver right now in the Bay is Romeo Doubs with 22 receptions. That’s less than half of what Adams had through six weeks last year (46). The Pack has rushed the ball 13.38 percent less through six weeks this year than the did last year despite the fact that they’re averaging 19 percent more yards per attempt (5.0 vs 4.2).
The Packers are 19th in the NFL in rushing TDs and 11th in the league in rushing yards. On consecutive (third and fourth) downs with a yard to go in a crucial moment against the Giants in Week 5, the Packers opted to pass instead of giving Jones a chance to run the ball. Both attempts fell incomplete.
If you’re going to be that bullish on passing, you might as well have one of the best equipped hands in the league. Enter Beckham Jr., who is known to be interested in Green Bay. It feels like a pursuit the Packers should make, but it might be an opportunity that ends before it really starts.
Los Angeles Rams might swoop in with final offer to return Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. joined the Los Angeles Rams last year late in the season and that worked out swimmingly. Beckham was, of course, not the primary receiver he has been previously in his career, but he filled a need for the Rams and was an important part of their Super Bowl run.
Beckham averaged 11.3 yards per reception in the regular season with 5 touchdowns. He received nearly half a target more per game in the Rams’ offense than he did receiving passes from Baker Mayfield in Cleveland earlier that season.
Recently, Beckham turned to Twitter to slam the Rams for an apparent lowball offer to come back:
While that might be perceived by some as the final straw in the OBJ/Rams chapter, don’t be so sure. Head coach Sean McVay sounds confident they have another offer they could give Beckham another offer. From Sarah Barshop of ESPN:
“I love Odell,” McVay said. “We have constant dialogue. He also knows that certainly I don’t think that’s the last [offer] that would come from us. I’m not familiar with what it is. He knows how we feel about him. We’ve got a little bit of time.”
Beckham clearly loves LA. Once the Packers (or another team) enter the market for OBJ, it’ll finally force the Rams’ hand and get Beckham the offer he’s looking for from the team he wants to be on. There’s no need to offer him a high price if no one else is in the market inflating the competition.
In a weird way, the Packers going after Beckham might be the thing that keeps him out of Green Bay entirely.