Getty Odell Beckham Jr. catching a pass against the San Francisco 49ers.
When San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel came down awkwardly on his ankle in Brock Purdy’s first start as a pro, it left fans only with a massive case of deja vu. After watching Elijah Mitchell, Trey Lance, Arik Armstead, Elijah Mitchell, again, and Jimmy Garoppolo all suffer leg injuries that robbed them of serious playing time, losing Samuel for an extended period of time, potentially even the entire season, would make the Niners’ difficulty score rise even higher, as if that was even possible.
One of those fans who took to social media to mourn Samuel’s injury was none other than Odell Beckham Jr., the free agent wide receiver who, for a time, had San Francisco on his list of potential teams that he would consider signing with before the playoffs.
“I just got chills,” Beckham Jr. wrote. “My heart goes out to u Deebo. Prayin for u.”
Fortunately for Beckham Jr., Samuel reportedly only has a high ankle sprain, as his coach, Kyle Shanahan, told reporters after the game. Still, with only four games left in the regular season, fans have already started to flood Beckham Jr.’s mentions with requests for him to join the 49ers, with the comments and quote tweets of his initial post absolutely teeming with Bay Area fans hoping to convince the three-time Pro Bowler to keep his talents in California.
Odell Beckham Jr. Would Reportedly Like To Sign With A Team Soon
With Week 14 almost over, fans have to wonder when Beckham Jr. will sign with another team. Back in November, on the 12th to be exact, Adam Schefter reported that OBJ was expected to sign with a team by the end of the month, with the 49ers listed among the teams on his list. Obviously, that hasn’t happened just yet, as, according to sources close to the Dallas Cowboys, his knee isn’t quite back after tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl.
Still, when asked about whether or not the 49ers would consider adding a post-trade deadline offensive weapon, John Lynch gave a measured response to KNBR, as transcribed by NBC Sports Bay Area.
“We’re open to discussions with everybody. We look into everything,” said Shanahan. “You don’t have to worry about the trade deadline with him because he’s out there, and he’s available. I’ve always been a fan of Odell, like I feel like most people are. He’s that good of a player.”
“But I’m definitely very happy with our receiver group right now and love the receivers that we have.”
Shanahan, too, has celebrated Beckham Jr. as a player but echoed that the team isn’t desperate to add another player any time soon. Still, if Samuel ends up missing time, those calculations may change in Beckham Jr.’s favor.
A Former San Francisco 49er Wished Deebo Samuel Well Too
While Beckham Jr.’s well-wishing tweet to Samuel drew the most headlines and the biggest response on social media, he wasn’t the only player, past or present, who used social media to send positive vibes the All-Pro’s way.
Richard Sherman, the former Seattle Seahawks/49ers/Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback who was teammates with Samuel from 2018-20, also used his social media account to wish his friend well, tweeting, “D*mn not @19problemz! Prayers up for him.”
Even if Sherman most recently played for the Buccaneers, it’s nice to know he still cares for his former teammate, especially after having to practice against him over the better part of three seasons.