Getty Odell Beckham Jr. #13 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates with Jarvis Landry #80 of the Cleveland Browns after Landry caught a 7-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
When Odell Beckham Jr. orchestrated his release from the Cleveland Browns in November, it appeared as though the wide receiver’s days of playing alongside his former LSU teammate Jarvis Landry were over. But appearances can be deceiving.
Beckham went on to win a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams but tore his ACL in the process, while Landry gutted out an injury-laden season in Cleveland only to see the team order his release on March 14. The two good friends are now both free agents at the same time and while it may be a long shot, there is a chance they could end up reunited just one half season after their Browns partnership ended. This time, possibly with a quarterback who gives them a chance to achieve more together than they ever could with Baker Mayfield in Cleveland.
Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams left that team for the Las Vegas Raiders Thursday, and one of his ex-teammates wasted little time before initiating the recruitment of Beckham and Landry. Packers safety Adrian Amos took to Twitter March 17 and proposed a reunion between the two pass catchers in Green Bay.
@obj 👀 @God_Son80 👀 yaw tryna play together again? 😂😂😂
“@OBJ 👀 @God_Son80 👀 yaw tryna play together again? 😂 😂 😂 ,” Amos tweeted.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported March 14 that the Packers are in the mix for Landry. News on Beckham’s future has been sparser as he recovers from the ACL injury.
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Packers Pursuit of Beckham, Landry More Likely as Free Agent WR Options Dwindle
Getty ImagesWide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. of the Los Angeles Rams.
Just few days ago the prospect of bringing Beckham and Landry back together in Green Bay would have seemed more far-fetched, as the Packers would have had a deeper pool of wide receivers to pursue in free agency.
But the available talent at the position thinned considerably after Mike Williams re-signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, Chris Godwin returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the franchise tag and then inked a multiyear deal, and former Chicago Bears wideout Allen Robinson jumped to the Rams — presumably stealing the injured Beckham’s spot.
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic on Thursday tweeted out his colleague Sheil Kapadia’s list of the top six wideouts left in free agency. Both Beckham and Landry were slotted at the top of that list.
Here are @SheilKapadia‘s top available free-agent WRs: Odell Beckham Jr. (coming off torn ACL), Jarvis Landry, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Will Fuller and Julio Jones.
“Here are @SheilKapadia’s top available free-agent WRs: Odell Beckham Jr. (coming off torn ACL), Jarvis Landry, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Will Fuller and Julio Jones,” Schneidman wrote.
Since that time, Smith-Schuster has signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs and is off the board.
Valdes-Scantling was in talks with the Packers Saturday, as well as a few other teams, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The wide receiver’s market value for the 2022 season is $8.7 million, according to Spotrac, though ESPN’s Rob Demovsky has reported Valdes-Scantling is likely to sign for somewhere in the $5 million range annually.
Cost of Signing Beckham, Landry Could be Biggest Impediment For Packers
GettyAaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers reacts against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at TIAA Bank Field on September 12, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Two-time reigning MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers told the Packers he did not want to be part of a rebuild after the team’s disappointing Divisional Round Playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Considering that, Adams’ sudden departure came as a shock to most. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport subsequently reported that Rodgers had previously known Adams was on his way out no matter what.
“While Aaron Rodgers was negotiating his contract, he knew Davante Adams would never play for the #Packers again,” Rapoport tweeted Thursday. “The situation was too far gone. Something had to give. And when Adams informed GB he wasn’t playing on the tag, talks got fired up. Now, Adams will be on the #Raiders.”
Green Bay used the franchise tag in early March to retain Adams for the upcoming season at the price of $20.14 million. That money will now presumably go to replacing him on the roster. The Packers were cash-strapped as it was and while Adams’ departure frees up some much needed funds, it may be difficult to bring in both Beckham and Landry if $20 million is all Green Bay has to split between them.
Landry was scheduled to make $16.3 million on the fifth and final year of his deal with the Browns before he was cut, while Beckham possesses a market value of $13.1 million for the 2022 season, per Spotrac.
The Packers could feasibly move some money around and clear up a few million more to land the duo. On the other hand, the opportunity to play together again for a contender in Green Bay with arguably the NFL’s best quarterback might be worth a pay cut to Beckham, Landry or both.