MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Odell Beckham Jr. waited a month after his Miami Dolphins free-agent visit to sign with the team.
And while money surely played a big role in the delay — Beckham no doubt wanted more than the $3 million base the Dolphins were offering — it wasn’t the only factor.
Miami Dolphins’ Odell Beckham Jr. Talks Tua Tagovailoa
Turns out, he had some reservations about joining up with Tua Tagovailoa — but not because Beckham doubted Tagovailoa’s abilities.
“I definitely was a little hesitant at first, because he’s a lefty, and I think I shied away from lefties,” Beckham told reporters this week at his introductory news conference.
“But now that I think about it, I’ve been throwing with Jarvis Landry since I was 15 years old. One of my trainers is left-handed. They said he just throws different. They said the accuracy and the spin, they’re like, it’s not really like he’s left-handed.
“Just watching his film, there’s a lot of great things that he’s been doing. He did it at Alabama, did it here with the Dolphins. Like I said, I’ve just seen an opportunity when I really watched the film, when I really sat down and didn’t look at a destination. I looked at myself in the mirror and a place for me and my career. I’ve just seen a lot of opportunity here.”
We haven’t yet seen Beckham and Tagovailoa on the field together, and might not for some time. Tagovailoa has largely stayed away from the team’s voluntary offseason conditioning program this spring — presumably in protest of stalled contract extension talks.
It’s unclear if Tagovailoa will participate in OTAs, which begin next week.
But at some point, Tagovailoa will have the opportunity to throw to arguably the best wide receiver trio in football: Beckham, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle.
READ MORE: Best NFL Wide Receiver Trios — Where Do the Dolphins Rank?
Beckham at this stage of his career is comfortable knowing that he’s the Dolphins’ third of those options.
“I think it’s not difficult at all anymore,” he said. “I’m kind of past it. Things have happened over the stage of my career, things happen in life; you just take the punches and roll with it, and this is where I’m at.
“I think having a two-year-old gives you some patience and maturity. It’s just not something I really worry about. Like I say, however many opportunities I do have, being in the best position and making the most of those — it’s really that simple.”