Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh celebrating after a big play during an NFL game.
The New York Jets are expected to land veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr in free agency.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic told Tim McMaster on The Can’t-Wait Podcast, “I think it’s happening.”
“By all accounts the Odell thing is real,” Rosenblatt explained on the podcast posted on Wednesday, March 23. “I’ve heard that from both people in the building and people around the league and people close to Odell that he is legit interested in playing with Aaron Rodgers.”
Brad Spielberger of PFF projected what that contract could look like for OBJ.
He believes it’ll be a three-year deal for $39 million. That contract would feature over $21.75 million in total guarantees.
A Lot of Smoke Around OBJ to the Jets in 2023
Rosenblatt isn’t the only Jets beat reporter that expects this deal to come to fruition.
Connor Hughes of SNY said he would be “surprised” if it doesn’t happen in response to a fan’s question about an Aaron Rodgers-OBJ pairing for the Jets
Hughes said the key for OBJ and the Jets is “finding a number that works for a special receiver” who has a history of injury issues.
Beckham was featured on Rodgers’ wish list he floated to the Jets that included players he’d like to play with. Hughes added to that saying the two NFL stars “are close and have discussed playing together in New York.”
The complicating factor is trying to hammer out the key financial details.
Some have speculated on social media that a team could sign OBJ to a one-year prove-it deal littered with performance incentives. However according to Spielberger, the former LSU product “wants a multiyear deal so he can plant roots somewhere.”
Beckham is 30 years of age and didn’t play in the NFL last season as he recovered from his second torn ACL.
Elijah Moore Trade Re-Opened the OBJ-Jets Conversation
On Wednesday, March 23 the Jets first agreed to terms with former Kansas City Chiefs wideout Mecole Hardman.
Shortly thereafter the team shipped off wide receiver Elijah Moore along with the No. 74 overall pick in the third round to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the No. 42 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
When Hardman was initially added, it seemed like the Jets’ wide receiver room was too deep to take on any newcomers. That seemingly squashed the idea of an OBJ to Jets pairing in 2023.
However, the immediate trade thereafter of Moore completely opened the conversation back up.
When you evaluate all of the key decisions in the wide receiver corps this offseason, the Jets have upgraded every single time.
Mecole Hardman is an upgrade over Braxton Berrios. Allen Lazard is an upgrade over Corey Davis. If OBJ signs with the Jets, as is expected, he would be a significant upgrade over Elijah Moore.
The room is set to look a lot different in 2023 than in 2022, but it would be inarguably better. Of course, the main course of this conversation is the eventual acquisition of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
He could make any group of receivers look good, but if you give him this level of talent it would be unfair to the rest of the NFL. This might be on paper the most talented group in the entire league.