Odell Beckham Jr. may be the most naturally talented and athletic football player in the entire NFL. His ability on the field is game-changing, his explosiveness is nearly unmatched. So why would the Giants be looking to move on form the best player on their football team? He has made numerous controversial decisions from taking a vacation to Miami days before a massive postseason game at the Packers, to his love affair with the kicking net, he has emerged as one of the most polarizing stars in the league. Let’s examine what team he might play for at the start of the 2018 season.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns are one of the few teams that could go get Beckham if they want to. They have the first and fourth overall picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, and the Giants would most likely accept a package including one of them. Jarvis Landry, the Browns’ newest addition to the wide receiver position has publicly lobbied Odell to rejoin his fellow LSU Tiger in Cleveland. Beckham and Landry would form a pair of explosive receivers to go along with Josh Gordon for one of the league’s best-receiving cores.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are actively involved in trade discussions with the Giants regarding Beckham. The Rams have made several additions to their defense already this offseason and are looking primed to take another run at the NFC West, which is quickly becoming one of the best divisions in football. Going to play for an offensive mind like Sean McVay should appeal to Beckham as will knowing that he has a quarterback much younger and more talented than Eli Manning. Beckham has many endorsement deals, and those companies would worry about him moving to a smaller market team like the Browns but playing in sunny Los Angeles would present no such issue.
San Fransico 49ers
The 49ers are one of the teams most equipt to be able to give Beckham the long-term deal that he is demanding before he plays a snap next year. Their current receiving core seems a bit underwhelming with Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin as the first and second options respectively. OBJ could be the key to the success of their offense, with newly minted starter Jimmy Garrupoloat QB and the offensive guru Kyle Shanahan as the Head Coach. The issue the 49ers may have is that while they clearly have the money to pay Odell, they may struggle to put together an attractive enough package for the Giants to be able to sell it to the fans.
New York Giants
Odell Beckham Jr. will more than likely be a New York Giant for a very long time. Odell explicitly said that he would not step onto any field without a long-term deal locked up. However, he needs to be active or on the PUP list for at least nine games this season to be eligible for free agency in the 2019 offseason. The Giants just moved on from longtime veteran and captain Jason Pierre-Paul in order to free up cap space to sign some of their younger talented players. If Odell plays this season without a new deal, the Giants can use the franchise tag on him in the 2019 and 2020 offseasons and keep him under team control until then.
Regardless of who Beckham plays for at the start of the 2018 season, he is an explosive and incredibly talented wide receiver that provides a weapon that will be a massive asset for any offense. It remains to be seen what will happen with OBJ, but with the NFL draft happening at the end of April, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a trade for him happen at some point before then or on draft day.