The 2023 NFL free agency period is firing off at a breakneck pace. While some players will return to their current teams, most players, especially the larger names, will look for a potential new landing spot, as is the case with WR Odell Beckham Jr. As one of the biggest names at his position, what are some possible landing spots for OBJ for the 2023 season?
Odell Beckham Jr. Agency Best Fits
As part of a very shallow wide receiver free agency class, there’s a case to be made that Beckham, assuming full health, is the best option on the open market. He joins a list including recently released Adam Thielen, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Allen Lazard, DJ Chark, Jarvis Landry, Mecole Hardman, and others.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport stated, “Odell Beckham Jr. wants to remind teams he is still really good, and he is finally healthy from that ACL tear that he suffered last year in the Super Bowl.” According to reports, Beckham looked great, meaning there should be no shortage of NFL teams looking to add him during free agency.
Dallas Has Been Publicly Interested in Odell Beckham Jr.
One of the worst-kept secrets is the mutual interests between the Dallas Cowboys and Beckham last year. The organization made it very clear they wanted to bring in OBJ if his health was at a point where he could help the team and play a massive role alongside CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.
According to Todd Archer of ESPN, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has had indirect contact with the wide receiver and has spoken with Beckham’s mother. “He’s somebody that I have the same kind of interest that I had in him during the season.”
The feeling is mutual as well. ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reports that OBJ “would love to play in Dallas” this coming season. “He’s a perfect personality fit. He’s a massive star, the Cowboys are America’s Team,” Fowler said on Get Up. “It makes too much sense.”
The wide receiver market got off to a slow start on the opening day of free agency, but that could quickly pick up with Beckham Jr. leading the way on a likely lucrative contract. A deal Jerry Jones would be more than happy to pay to bring a championship back to the franchise.
OBJ Could Help To Push Buffalo Over the Top
2022 showed Buffalo needs another playmaker on the perimeter. Stefon Diggs is one of the best in the game, but the up-and-down play of Gabe Davis shined a light on the lack of high-end depth at the wide receiver position. After seeing how loaded the AFC has become, that is a massive concern.
Pairing Beckham with Josh Allen and Diggs would be a match made in heaven, and the ties are already in place for this to happen — much of which has gone under the radar. On February 15, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the Bills were hiring veteran WR coach Adam Henry to fill the same role. This is significant.
Following the Bills’ Divisional Round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, adding more firepower is an offseason must for GM Brandon Beane. With Henry in the building, the path is set for Beckham to join Buffalo as they try to reach the mountaintop.
If his health is no longer a concern, a healthy OBJ would be the most enticing addition you could ask for in Buffalo and is a top free agency landing spot for Beckham Jr.
Could Odell Beckham Jr. Join Aaron Rodgers in New York?
It feels apparent Aaron Rodgers is going to the Jets. It’s just a matter of time. Similar to what we saw with Tom Brady heading to Tampa Bay, this is a franchise-altering move, and typically you see teams bring in a load of talent in subsequent moves. Rodgers said himself that people aren’t coming to Green Bay because it’s a destination. They were coming to play with him.
That same thing applies here, except there is the additional draw of New York. Reports are swirling that not only is Rodgers coming close to signing, but he wants the Jets to target some of the current free agents like Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. But also on that list, according to ESPN NFL Insider Diana Russini, is Beckham Jr.
That should come as no surprise as they have each expressed mutual respect and have been linked several times. Garrett Wilson is an absolute superstar in the making, and Elijah Moore is as underrated as it gets. But the Jets will go all in on surrounding Rodgers and could bolster the depth chart with Lazard and Cobb, and Beckham Jr. Throw in a great offensive line and team full of budding stars in CB Sauce Garder and RB Breece Hall, and the Jets could make a case for the No. 2 spot in the division.
The Saints Could Look To Bring Beckham Jr. Back to the Bayou
New Orleans made a massive investment to get their franchise back heading in the right direction, signing former Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr on a four-year, $150 million contract that includes $100 million in total guarantees.
But who is he throwing to? Chris Olave is a star in the making and was one of the most dynamic players in the league as a rookie. The question is, who is the WR2? There are reports Michael Thomas and the team were looking to work on a contract extension, but even if that were the case, can he stay healthy after missing the bulk of the last three seasons?
Beckham could land with the Saints, back in the state where he first became a star while playing at LSU. Additionally, it would reunite him with a former teammate at LSU and with the Browns: Jarvis Landry. The salary cap will always be the key topic for the Saints when discussing roster moves, but no team is better at working around money than New Orleans.
Will New England Pursue Odell Beckham Jr. To Help Rebuild Their WR Room During Free Agency?
If not for Beckham, the case could be made that New England Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers was the top free agent wide receiver available. Undrafted out of North Carolina State, he accounted for 804 yards and six touchdowns on 67 of 96 receiving to lead the team last season.
But unfortunately for the Patriots, Meyers will not return as he reportedly signed a three-year, $33 million contract with $21 million guaranteed with the Raiders, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
Add in Nelson Agholor hitting free agency and even TE Jonnu Smith being traded to the Falcons for a 2023 seventh-round pick, and the Patriots are in desperate need of pass catchers. Currently, the depth chart boasts DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton, and Kendrick Bourne at receiver.
In a division with Josh Allen and the Bills, Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, and likely soon-to-be Aaron Rodgers and the Jets consisting of six of their games in the regular season, New England is comfortably fourth in the AFC East unless they make drastic additions to their roster.
While he wouldn’t fix things and is just a large part of an even larger puzzle, Beckham Jr. in New England is a landing spot that makes too much sense and is one of the best fits from a need standpoint.