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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to be in the running to potentially add Odell Beckham Jr. to an already talented offense. This time, the news does not come from an NFL insider, but from Buffalo Bills star linebacker Von Miller, who is keeping tabs on the free agent’s recruitment.
Miller, an eight-time Pro Bowler, revealed that he talks with Beckham weekly, adding that Beckham is “on tour now” visiting the Bucs, New York Giants and New Orleans Saints. Miller hinted that he believed Beckham would ultimately sign with the Bills but that time would tell whether the wideout makes a decision in October.
“I talk to OBJ probably every week; I check in with him,” Miller told reporters on October 5, 2022. “I keep in touch with him. OBJ, he’s a vet in this league, too. He understands teams and the way teams are built up, too. I’m sure when he looks at our team, I’m sure he can see himself fitting in our team.
“He’s going on tour now. He’s going to the Giants practice facility and the Saints and Tampa and all that stuff, which he should. He should go around and see the league and get the love. He’s still on a Super Bowl tour. He’s done just about everything in this league. Like, you want to go around and you want to get the love.
“Just me, personally — just the way I like to think — I think when it’s time to start chopping the block and I think when it’s time to get down to business, we already know where he gonna be at. We know. Just in my eyes, I think I know where he’s gonna be at.”
Brady on Beckham: ‘I’ve Known Him a Long Time’
Beckham attended the Week 2 matchup between the Saints and Buccaneers, and his sharing a pregame moment on the field with his friend Tom Brady went viral. If Tampa Bay is able to sign Beckham, it would not only give Brady another weapon but keep Beckham away from the division rival Saints. During the September 19 edition of his “Let’s Go” podcast, Brady spoke about his interaction with Beckham and their friendship.
“It was great to see him,” Brady said. “I’ve known him a long time. He’s a Super Bowl champion, and everyone saw kind of what he put on the line last year. So proud of him. I know he’s gone through a lot of rehab this offseason with his knee, and I know that he’s itching to get back to football.
“He was there with one of my favorite UFC fighters, too. So, it was good to see both of them in Odell’s home state. Always good to see him.”
Beckham was on a lucrative five-year, $90 million contract with the Browns but signed a one-year, $1.25 million deal with the Rams after being released in 2021. The Super Bowl champ will likely look to sign a similar one-year contract this season in order to hit free agency again in 2023 once he is fully healthy.
Beckham Has Not Revealed a Return Timeline
Beckham is recovering from an ACL injury he sustained during the Rams’ Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The timeline for his return remains murky, but Miller suggested on the October 5 episode of “The Richard Sherman Podcast” that Beckham could wait until November or December to sign with a team, once he is fully healthy. Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud speculated that the Bucs would be a contender for Beckham given his relationship with Brady.
“When healthy, why wouldn’t TB [Brady] lobby for OBJ, depending on the health of the WR position? Otherwise he could rejoin the Rams or stay home with the Saints,” Stroud tweeted on September 20 when asked by a fan about Tampa Bay’s chances of landing Beckham.
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