Getty Odell Beckham Jr. is honing in on the Packers.
Free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is “honing in” on the Green Bay Packers, according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini.
Russini reports on Wednesday, November 10, that Beckham is “honing in” on the Packers, Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints.
“On the day in which he could make his final decision, free-agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. is honing in on the Chiefs, Packers and Saints, per league sources,” says Russini.
The newest report on the Beckham sweepstakes correlates with Tuesday’s report from Jordan Schultz that Beckham was “prioritizing” the Packers.
The Saints have been one of the few constants in most reports of teams linked to Beckham. The Chiefs are a new one, but not all that surprising considering they’re a playoff contender and feature Patrick Mahomes at quarterback.
Most importantly, Beckham would immediately be featured in the offense as a likely No. 2 receiver behind Tyreke Hill. Mecole Hardman currently occupies that spot, but he’s been less than impressive with 38 receptions for 372 yards (9.8 yards per reception) and one touchdown on the season.
Evan Lazar of CLNS Media — who has linked Beckham to the New England Patriots — reported on Tuesday, November 9 that the eight-year veteran is prioritizing teams in playoff contention with good coaching.
“Obviously things can change and there are always teams that fly under the radar but here’s the list I’m hearing for Odell (not in order): Packers, Patriots, Saints,” says Lazar. “Odell prioritizing teams in playoff contention with good coaching.”
Considering the Packers are 7-2 and feature one of the best young minds at head coach in Matt LaFleur and the reigning MVP in Aaron Rodgers, Beckham signing with the Packers wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
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Packers Should Be Beckham’s Favorite
When factoring in Beckham’s priorities, it’s hard not to consider the Packers the favorite to sign the three-time Pro Bowler.
The Packers have all four facets of what Beckham is looking for — a good coach, an elite quarterback, a Super Bowl contender and a team that will feature him in the offense.
Outside of Davante Adams, Green Bay doesn’t zone in on any of their receivers or tight ends. In fact, Rodgers’ second-favorite receiving weapon — tight end Robert Tonyan — is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Now that Tonyan is out of the picture and the fact that Green Bay hasn’t signed an adequate replacement, that would leave a major void for the PACKERS.
When not including Adams and Tonyan, the Packers’ leading receiver is Randall Cobb with just 20 receptions for 244 yards and four touchdowns on 29 targets.
In other words, Beckham would be featured in the offense from the get-go as the go-to receiver after Adams.
Both Saints and Chiefs Have Glaring Flaws
While the Saints and Chiefs are being mentioned as possibilities to land the former Cleveland Browns receiver, here’s why Beckham shouldn’t choose either.
Despite defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8, the Saints are moving in a downward direction. New Orleans fell to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9 and are starting Trevor Siemian at quarterback. Prior to Week 9, Siemian had started one game since the 2018 season.
As far as the Chiefs are concerned, Beckham would be featured prominently on offense. The problem is, Kansas City appears to have regressed this year, including their franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The defense currently ranks 24th in points allowed per game, while the once high-powered offense ranks 15th in scoring.
When factoring in everything, the Packers appear to be Beckham’s best choice.