Dec 28, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Football player Odell Beckham gestures while standing on the court after the game between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings began the first day of free agency with a few splashy events, including the acquisition of EDGE rusher Marcus Davenport from the New Orleans Saints, and watched Patrick Peterson walk (Steelers) along with Cameron Dantzler (Commanders), Eric Kendricks (Chargers), and Dalvin Tomlinson (Browns).
Meanwhile, Vikings players were conducting a little recruiting push — for Odell Beckham.
Beckham, 30, is a free agent and can sign anywhere in the league as early as now.
And while it’s undetermined if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell want Beckham — their decision is the one that ultimately matters — a handful of existing Vikings players are trying to make Beckham-to-Minnesota a reality.
Second-year linebacker Brian Asamoah, a defender presumably on tap to start in September after the exodus of Eric Kendricks, started the fun, tweeting, “OBJ stop playing…”
Cornerback Akayleb Evans, an incredibly vocal social media personality, fired up a similar tweet, “Yooo OBJ.”
And cornerstone left tackle Christian Darrisaw added the proverbial eye emojis:
So, for now, that’s the push by Vikings players to add Beckham to the 2023 depth chart. Last Friday, the Super Bowl champion WR held a private workout for teams. CBS Sports Jonathan Jones’ tweeted about the event, “Teams represented at Odell Beckham Jr.’s private workout in Arizona today included the Panthers, Giants, Patriots, Rams, Cardinals, 49ers, Bills, Chiefs, Vikings, Browns and Ravens, per source.”
The LSU alumnus missed all of the 2022 campaign recovering from an ACL tear he suffered in Super Bowl LVI, a championship won by the Los Angeles Rams. Beckham and his offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell were a part of the team, and O’Connell since took over the Vikings as head coach. O’Connell knows Beckham, and Beckham knows O’Connell, so there could be a fit in Minnesota, in theory.
Moreover, beloved Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen left the franchise last Friday after he could not agree to a contractual agreement with his hometown team. Minnesota needs a WR2, whether Beckham, a different free agent, promotion from within, or the 2023 NFL Draft. A healthy Beckham would lock down WR2 for at least one season.
Minnesota’s WR1 is Justin Jefferson, and he and Beckham are pals, attending LSU about a decade apart. The Vikings have indicated this offseason that Jefferson will be consulted via roster-building, and it’s safe to assume he’d welcome his friend, Beckham.
The dicey part is price. Last weekend, Pro Football Talk tweeted, “OBJ is still looking for $20M per year; it’s hard to imagine him getting that without proving himself first.”
The Vikings don’t have $20 million under a mattress, nor is Bechakm worth that sum coming off an injury. Left up to Vikings players, though, Beckham is quite the sought-after target.
Beckham will turn 31 in November.
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 Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.