Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane says they would be "crazy" not to look into signing Odell Beckham Jr; New York Giants GM Joe Schoen says team will "consider" OBJ re-signing with the team; the receiver is targeting a November return after tearing his ACL during Super Bowl LVI
Thursday 3 November 2022 13:20, UK
As the NFL world continues to wonder where Odell Beckham Jr will play his football this season, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has come out and said they would be "crazy" not to look into signing the superstar receiver.
Beckham, according to sources, is targeting November for a return to competitive action in the NFL, fuelling speculation that the free agent receiver is soon to pick a destination for the remainder of the 2022 season.
Last year, OBJ agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Rams on November 11 after engineering his release from the Cleveland Browns. During their run to the Super Bowl title, he had 21 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs before tearing his left ACL during Super Bowl LVI.
The Rams had again been favourites to recapture Beckham's signature, but a disappointing 3-4 start to the season by the defending champs, and the fact they've left it this long to do a deal, has led to talk that he could seek a short-team deal elsewhere before revisiting his options in the offseason.
With the Bills sitting 6-1 on the season, and serving as many people's Super Bowl favourites for this season - owning the No 1 offense in the league, led by star quarterback Josh Allen - Buffalo are being touted as a frontrunner to land OBJ.
"OBJ's a heck of a talent," Beane told reporters on Wednesday. "You know where he was drafted, he obviously had the great catch and he might have been the MVP of that Super Bowl.
"He's a heck of a player, everyone in this room knows who OBJ is... And, you know me, if we think he can help this team, we'd be crazy not to at least look into it."
He added: "If we did, you have to remember there's financials, there's roles, there's all sorts of things that would all have to line up.
"But yeah, a guy of his talent, of course we would look into that."
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported last month the teams likely to be most interested in him are playoff contenders with a receiver need. He added that the Bills were considered a possible suitor for Beckham.
Bills pass rusher Von Miller, who himself played on the Rams' Super Bowl LVI-winning team with Beckham before signing with Buffalo in the offseason, said only last month that he believes the receiver is joining him in Western New York.
"Let's be real, he's coming to the Bills," Miller said on The Richard Sherman podcast. "It's already said and done.
"You've got Josh Allen, [Stefon] Diggs - just think about him and Diggs on the same team.
"We've got Gabe Davis, Isaiah McKenzie, some young guys are coming in and doing their thing. Dawson Knox, Devin Singletary. Our offensive line is one of the best offensive lines in the league. Defense is doing what we do.
"When it's said and done, we know where Odell is going to be at."
Miller's confidence hasn't yet materialised into a move, but Beane's latest comments certainly add weight to the belief that Buffalo could indeed be OBJ's next destination.
The Rams haven't yet ruled themselves out of the race for his signature. Beckham tweeted recently that the team had made a contract offer to him that was not "reflective" of his worth, though head coach Sean McVay said, "I don't think that's the last [offer]."
"LA knows where I wanted to be," Beckham tweeted. "But they didn't offer me.... ANYthing!
"So idk what people want me to do, I def know my worth and what the offer was isn't reflective of that. So it's tough to say that I can come on back even tho [sic} I thought I finally found that home !"
McVay told reporters in response: "I love Odell. We have constant dialogue.
"He also knows that certainly I don't think that's the last [offer] that would come from us... He knows how we feel about him. We've got a little bit of time.
"But [I] love Odell. Nothing but good things coming from me."
Another team in the mix to acquire Beckham is his former squad, the New York Giants. OBJ spent five seasons with the team after being taken with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 draft. It was with New York that he made his name with an incredible one-handed touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys in a stunning rookie season.
Beckham had a record-breaking start with three straight 1,300-yard seasons to begin his career. But things began to fall apart when he broke his leg in 2017 and he was ultimately traded to the Cleveland Browns before the 2019 season.
The 29-year-old visited the Giants facility last month, fuelling speculation of a return, though he didn't meet with general manager Joe Schoen at the time.
Schoen told reporters on Tuesday, however, that he would be open to having a conversation over a possible reunion.
"I had no idea he was in the building until he was out of the building," Schoen said of Beckham's fleeting visit. "Obviously, he's been a good player. He's a guy we would consider and talk to, when he's healthy.
"Not really sure where he's at physically but, yeah, any player that would upgrade the roster we're going to consider and have conversations with their representatives."
The Giants are 6-2 heading into their bye week. Beckham toyed with the idea of returning to the Giants recently on social media.
"Ain't nothing better than a family reunion!!" he tweeted last month in a response to a post by New York running back Saquon Barkley.
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