The Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants have one thing in common.
No, it’s not that they all played in Super Bowls in the early 1990s. Rather, it is a shared mutual interest in prized free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. – in 2022.
Beckham Jr. turned 30 earlier this month and is recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in February’s Super Bowl. The three-time Pro Bowler has been sidelined since that game, missing a potential return before Thanksgiving while rehabbing the injury.
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Odell Beckham Jr. escorted off flight by police in Miami
His return to the field has been a bit delayed, but it seems the former Giant and Los Angeles Ram will be making his decision soon.
The NFL’s Week 13 is less than 24 hours away. OBJ won’t be playing this Sunday, but he could be signing with a new team by week’s end.
When will Beckham Jr. make his return to the NFL field? That remains to be seen.
San Francisco 49ers
Let’s break down his three options and make a case for each team.
Why Odell Beckham Jr. should sign back with the Giants
The former team aspect has been mentioned once or twice, but besides the familiarity factor, OBJ can come home and play savior to a playmaking group that is bereft of top-level talent in New York.
Besides tailback Saquon Barkley, the Giants (7-4) don’t have many weapons to help support QB Daniel Jones. The result has been a shaky offense in 2022 – one that has failed to score more than 24 points on U.S. soil this year and has struggled mightily away from MetLife Stadium.
One perk of coming back to the Big Apple? Playing for head coach Brian Daboll, who was once the front runner for NFL coach of the year. That momentum has since waned with the Giants being losers of their last two games and falling almost out of the NFC playoff picture.
Odell Beckham Jr. and the Dallas Cowboys are an obvious match
CeeDee Lamb, Odell Beckham Jr., Michael Gallup. Not a bad trio of receivers for Dak Prescott.
Mix in Ezekial Elliot, Tony Pollard and Dalton Schultz and Dallas could have the league’s best playmaking options.
Despite a turbulent week for Beckham Jr. that included an incident at Miami International Airport, the Cowboys are not deterred to make a December splash and make a push toward NFC supremacy come January.
This has been a long rumored pairing as Dallas owner Jerry Jones covets star power, and OBJ brings that in spades.
Increasing the magnetism: The Cowboys (8-3) are trending upward, winners of four of their last five games.
How the Bills could afford Odell Beckham Jr.
Like the Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills have one of the most expensive rosters in the NFL.
It’s not easy to keep Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Jordan Poyer, Von Miller and company all paid and happy.
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However, according to OverTheCap.com, the Bills would be able to afford OBJ with around $2 million available in cap space in 2022.
Whether or not Beckham Jr. would want to sign a relatively short-term deal with Buffalo remains to be seen. Long term, the Bills will struggle to retain all its already handsomely paid players and the free agent wideout.
It’s important to remember, though, that the Bills and Beckham Jr. have an exclusively shared mindset for this year: Super Bowl or bust.
Can’t ask for much more.