The Seattle Seahawks, along with the rest of the NFL, opted not to put in a claim for Odell Beckham jr., per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Beckham is now a free agent and can sign with the team of his choosing.
The Seahawks had two options if they wanted to add Odell Beckham Jr. to their roster. First, the Seahawks could put in a waiver claim by 4 p.m. Eastern on November 9 and hope the teams above them did not do the same. Seattle could also risk it and hope Beckham passed through waivers unclaimed. The Seahawks opted to do the latter and time will tell if the team will make a hard pursuit at the receiver.
The one thing that is clear is the Seahawks have at least some interest in Beckham, but head coach Pete Carroll did not previously divulge the team’s decision. A day later we have our answer, but Beckham’s future with the Seahawks or any other team remains just as uncertain.
“You’ll have to wait and see how this all goes, but at this time, I don’t know,” Carroll responded when asked about Beckham during his November 8 press conference. “I’ve been on the practice field, I don’t know what’s going on with any of it. As you would think, we’re aware of what’s going on, and we’ve been involved to understand it and competing to know what’s happening and we’ll let you know as it all happens. I gotta wait. …So, I didn’t say yes or I didn’t say no, but that’s just because, you’ll see.”
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Carroll Praised OBJ on the Eve of the Deadline to Claim the Star Receiver
Carroll may have remained non-committal on the direction the Seahawks would go, but the coach went out of his way to praise Beckham. His comments left many analysts and fans alike believing the Seahawks would put in a waiver claim.
“He’s a really good football player, he’s as talented as you could be in the years past,” Carroll added. “So, you’re always looking for guys that can do special stuff. Forever, I’ve shared with you guys that were looking for uniqueness and people that are different than other people and give you different dimensions to their play. So, that’s what we’re trying to figure out, investigate and see if there’s a chance and all that kind of stuff, if it makes sense. In essence, I’m going to stall telling you what’s going on, just because.”
ESPN’s Brady Henderson pointed out that the Seahawks were likely scared away by his $7.25 million salary if they made a waiver claim. Seattle viewed the only viable path to land Beckham as free agency.
“Any team that claimed Beckham would’ve owed him $7.25M for the rest of the season, per Schefter,” Henderson detailed on Twitter. “For that reason, it has seemed likely that any run the Seahawks make at OBJ will be via trying to sign him for less than that as as a free agent apposed to putting in a waiver claim.”
OBJ Has the Packers as His ‘No. 1 Destination’: Report
The Seahawks may be competing with the team they play on Sunday for Beckham’s services. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio previously reported that Beckham’s preference was to join the Seahawks. Days later, ESPN’s Jordan Schultz reported (hours before the receiver passed through waivers) that Beckham had “prioritized the Packers” as his top choice. We will get the final verdict once Beckham signs with his new team.
“Breaking: Odell Beckham, Jr. has prioritized the Packers as his No. 1 destination should he clear waivers, per sources,” Schultz tweeted on November 9.
According to USA Today’s Josina Anderson, Beckham has “several options” in terms of potential landing spots and the receiver plans to “take some time” to reach a decision. Seahawks fans could be on Beckham watch for a little while longer.
“My understanding is that free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. will take some time and assess the best situation for him with several options still on the table, per league source,” Anderson noted on Twitter after Beckham officially became a free agent.
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Seahawks Make Decision on Claiming Star WR Odell Beckham Jr.