Odell Beckham Jr. is squarely focused on the upcoming Super Bowl with the Rams, but he was very close to ending up elsewhere when he was briefly a free agent. According to a pair of tweets from PFF’s Doug Kyed, the wideout nearly joined the Patriots, as well as the Saints, after he cleared waivers earlier this season. 
The 29-year-old’s time in Cleveland came to an end in November, after increasing tensions with other members of the team, in particular quarterback Baker Mayfield, came to a boiling point. After a disappointing two-and-a-half-year stint with the Browns, he ultimately signed with the Rams in an attempt to go on a championship run, filling in admirably for the injured Robert Woods along the way. His time in LA. has been so successful to this point that the team wants to keep him there beyond this season.
However, things very nearly turned out much differently for Beckham. According to Kyed, he was “close” to signing in New England after speaking with Bill Belichick. He adds that Beckham believes the fit would have been “ideal” a few years earlier, when Tom Brady was still with the Pats.
Another receiver-need team was the Saints, with whom Beckham came “very close” to signing. He added, “It just didn’t feel like the right time. Right place, wrong time”. In large part due to injuries to new starting QB Jameis Winston and top WR Michael Thomas, the Saints finished dead last in the league in passing yards per game in 2012 with 202.2.
Ultimately, Beckham clearly made the right choice up to this point. After the end of the season, though, the Patriots and Saints may represent destinations he is familiar with, not to mention ones that could benefit from the caliber of play he has put forth with the Rams.
I bet he is happy where he is at. Can you imagine thinking that McNoodle would be an upgrade over Baker?
This year’s version of Baker and that offense? Mac Jones and that offense would have been an upgrade, yes. Not as much as Stafford, of course.
I don’t know how long he’ll be happy in LA being #3 and paid about 8 million a year. He wasn’t happy about not getting the ball in Cleveland. As for his production, he had 27 catches for 305 yards for the Rams in 8 games. That’s 54 catches for 610 yards for a 16 game season which is hardly anywhere close to what Beckham has played lately, let alone 17 games. I see him going somewhere where he can at least be a #2. OBJ will be a good guy until he won’t be
That’s why he makes sense for the Patriots. He’d be their #1, which would make Meyers and Bourne better by bumping then down to 2 and 3. Sorry Nelson.
Hard to really extrapolate on his 8 games since he barely played in the first game and took a few weeks to get acclimated. It’s not easy to join a team late in the season that already has a clear #1 option and put up big stats right away. I don’t totally disagree with what you’re saying but I thivk he
Everyone talks like Beckham is so much better in LA. His 1st year in Cleveland he caught 75 passes for over a 1000 yards. Both he and Landry did that. Last year he was hurt and this year Mayfield was hurt and no receiver had a good year. I’d say Beckham may end up in Vegas. They need a #1 with speed and Vegas offers the weather and lifestyle Beckham might like
I could def see him in Vegas.
The Rams are eager to bring Beckham and Von Miller back. L.A.’s Super Bowl team can pull it off with 4 ex-Rams having their contracts come off the books in the spring.
At least he’s not intentionally dropping passes in Cleveland anymore
Almost went to the Patriots, Saints, Packers….any team that he didn’t almost go to?
Steelers. He wouldn’t go there because every pass looked like a fake punt.
Good one jokester