The Green Bay Packers made a play for Odell Beckham Jr. — but ultimately came up short in their pursuit.
According to Peter Schrager of Fox Sports, the Packers made a very “aggressive” pitch for the 29-year-old wide receiver. As Schrager notes, Aaron Rodgers, head coach Matt LaFleur and wide receiver Davante Adams all made pitches for the three-time Pro Bowl receiver.
However, Beckham ultimately decided his future was best served with the Los Angeles Rams.
Following the Packers’ 17-0 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, November 15, Rodgers finally addressed the Packers’ pursuit of the veteran receiver.
“I think that we are obviously limited with our salary-cap situation,” Rodgers said. “I’m not sure what he ended up signing for, but I’ve been friends with Odell for a long time and have so much respect for his talent and his ability, and I wish him the absolute best in L.A.
“I think there was a lot of conversations around bringing him in, and for whatever reason it just wasn’t the right fit,” Rodgers continued. “But I feel good about the fact that we were in the mix.”
At one point, the Packers were considered the favorites to land Beckham.
However, after Beckham signed with the Rams, reports came out that the receiver wasn’t too pleased with Green Bay’s contract offer of the veteran’s minimum. The veteran’s minimum for an eighth-year receiver is just a tad under $1.1 million — which means Beckham would have been owed $537,000 to play their final eight games.
Instead, Beckham accepted the Rams’ offer which includes a deal featuring $3 million worth of incentives.
The #Rams gave WR Odell Beckham Jr a 1-year deal worth up to $4.25M, source said.
Details:
— $500K signing bonus
— $750K for the rest of the season
— Another $3M available in team-based incentives for how they finish the regular season and the postseason.
Green Bay isn’t exactly a team lacking in salary cap space. According to Spotrac, the Packers have over $6.2 million available in space. Meanwhile, the Rams have just over $2.8 million in available cap space.
The Packers clearly wanted Beckham. However, they were simply outbid by a team that gave a better sales pitch.
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Packers Not Only Team to Offer Minimum for Beckham
The Packers weren’t the only team to offer merely the veteran’s minimum to Beckham.
In fact, the Kansas City Chiefs — another team involved in the Beckham sweepstakes — also offered the minimum for Beckham, according to Dov Kleiman, an independent NFL reporter. The other teams involved — the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks — offered slightly more than the minimum.
And as reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Pittsburgh Steelers tried to get in on the Beckham sweepstakes. However, by the time they reached out to Beckham, the receiver had already narrowed down his choices to the finalists.
Aaron Jones Goes Down to Knee Injury
While the Packers moved to a record of 7-2 following their win over the Seahawks on Sunday, it was at the expense of Aaron Jones.
The Packers’ starting running back went down with a knee injury towards the end of the third quarter. Jones went down on both knees before he had to be helped off of the field.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Packers fear Jones suffered a sprained MCL and will undergo further tests to confirm the injury.
Jones clinched his first Pro Bowl berth last year and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 2019. The 26-year-old has run for 516 yards while totaling seven touchdowns (three rushing, four receiving) to lead the team this season.
In his absence, A.J. Dillion will over starting running back duties.
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Aaron Rodgers Breaks Silence on Packers’ Pursuit of Odell Beckham