Odell Beckham Nears Final Destination
Dustin Baker
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Odell Beckham Nears Final Destination
Free-agent and Super Bowl-champion wide receiver Odell Beckham has toured the United States, hoping to latch onto the best contending football team for his needs. Beckham has fetched interest from the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, and Kansas City Chiefs, among other franchises.
But with the postseason about a month away, Beckham has evidently picked his final 2022 destination.
Odell Beckham Nears Final Destination
According to Jerry Jones, that’s the Dallas Cowboys, who have flirted with Beckham for months. Jones, the Cowboys owner and general manager, told the media this week, “Odell’s going to join us.”
Jones elaborated, “There’s a good chance he will, with the complete goal of getting ready for a playoff game or two, and then I’ll look to the future. But most of it being about now.”
Dallas also signed veteran wideout T.Y. Hilton this week, a productive former member of the Indianapolis Colts. To some, that signaled the end of the Beckham Sweepstakes in Dallas, but Jones’ comments on Friday seem to indicate that he prefers an embarrassment of aging-WR riches for the Cowboys upcoming playoff push.
Too, the Cowboys want to sharpen their depth chart, perhaps akin to how the Los Angeles Rams did in 2021, resulting in a Super Bowl triumph. While Dallas has a treacherous path in the NFC to the Super Bowl, needing to topple teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Minnesota Vikings, this year indeed feels a bit different than “same ‘ol” Cowboys-themed letdowns.
Beckham tore his ACL on Super Bowl Sunday 10 months ago. He was theorized to return with an NFL team in November, but the process has bled into December — and Beckham could maybe even wait to sign until the postseason.
He’s played in the NFL for eight seasons, spending time with the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Rams, tabulating 7,367 receiving yards on 531 receptions and 56 touchdowns. At age 30, Beckham likely has a few hurrahs left in the tank to stimulate a Super Bowl-contending team’s offense. Moreover, at this career juncture, Beckham seems interested in contenders-only and like a bit of a mercenary for hire.
The Vikings were intermingled in the Beckham rumor mill once folks realized that the 2022 purple team was proficient and playoff-bound. But those whispers were largely fan-driven, and Beckham has not formally met with the team. Still, the star wideout also attended LSU from 2011 to 2013, and Minnesota rosters Justin Jefferson, Danielle Hunter, Patrick Peterson, and Ed Ingram as alumni from that school, which should theoretically bolster the recruiting acumen for the Vikings.
That’s probably all for nil, though, as Jones expressly stated Beckham is “on the way.” The Cowboys boast the league’s seventh-best offense per EPA/Play through Week 14, so the probable Beckham addition only makes Dallas’ roster deeper and more prolific.
The Cowboys take on the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend in Florida, while the Vikings host the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium. Dallas currently lives in the No. 5 seed for the NFC’s playoff picture and would likely travel to Minneapolis if the teams meet again in the 2022 postseason.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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