The Jets’ wide receiver rearranging may not stop at swapping out Elijah Moore for Mecole Hardman. Despite adding Hardman and Allen Lazard, the Jets are still interested in signing Odell Beckham Jr., SNY’s Connor Hughes tweets.
Previous reports have indicated the Jets’ interest, though that remaining the case after Lazard and Hardman’s arrivals is certainly of note, but Hughes adds Beckham and Aaron Rodgers have discussed playing together in New York. Beckham is also interested in joining the Jets, Hughes tweets. Rodgers’ interest in playing with Beckham in New York became known last week, after the eight-year veteran joined Lazard, Randall Cobb and Marcedes Lewis on the quarterback’s list of hopeful Jet targets.
[RELATED: Jets Trade Elijah Moore To Browns]
New York’s receiving corps houses holdovers Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis. The Offensive Rookie of the Year is not going anywhere, but this continued Beckham interest points to the team considering taking Davis’ salary off the payroll. The Jets would obtain $10.5MM in cap space by releasing or trading Davis, who has one season remaining on the three-year, $37.5MM deal he inked in 2021.
Beckham, 30, is far from a safe bet. But Davis has missed 12 games since joining the Jets. OBJ obviously eclipses the former top-five pick for injury risk, having suffered two ACL tears between October 2020 and February 2022. The latter led to the former Pro Bowler missing all of last season, despite the Giants, Cowboys and Bills bringing him in for highly publicized December visits. Beckham both sought more money than those suitors were willing to pay and presented injury concerns — worries that became public after his Cowboys meeting.
The Packers pursued Beckham during his brief free agency stay in 2021, after the Browns agreed to release him. Green Bay ended up finishing second there, and Beckham made significant contributions to the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI-winning season. He topped 100 receiving yards in the 2021 NFC championship game and was on pace to do so again in the Super Bowl, but the second-quarter ACL tear sidetracked that effort — and Beckham’s career — instead.
Although Beckham has long been connected to a $20MM-per-year ask, he recently denied that is the case. Teams are clearly not going anywhere near that number for the talented but injury-prone target. The Jets hold just more than $10MM in cap space, though Rodgers’ contract is not yet on their payroll. The Jets are operating as though the four-time MVP will be their quarterback, and that is expected to happen.
New York’s receiving corps will already look different around its next QB, but will the team end up with three key additions around Wilson or just two? The Chiefs have also been loosely linked to Beckham, as they were in each of the past two years, and the draw of playing with Patrick Mahomes certainly would represent a threat to the Jets’ hopes here. DeAndre Hopkins has also been connected to Kansas City, with veteran NFL reporter Mike Jurecki again indicating (via Twitter) the defending champions are interested in these veteran pass catchers. The Chiefs have now lost Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster, and while they plan to give Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore bigger 2023 roles, another veteran presence makes sense.
The Giants and Cowboys are believed to be out on OBJ, though the rest of his market is not known. The Jets’ enduring presence here does make a Beckham Big Apple return an obvious scenario to monitor.
It is interesting to think what his career arc would have looked like if he had dropped that one-handed catch back in 2014.
The people who continue to drool over Beckham are the White Male Sports Media that look the other way at his diva antics.
Incidentally, that circus catch he made on national TV was in a game the Giants LOST. In MetLife Stadium. To the Dallas Cowboys.
Dave Dameshek turned the “what if” game into a very entertaining NFL series although I don’t recall OBJ being featured in any episodes.
NY Jets are putting on one of sports all time backside kissing for #12. Since Rodgers clearly doesn’t want last year’s WR’s on the Jets, GB should ask for the OROY as well as picks. GB already has his salary budgeted in, they should make the Jets buckle.
Holy recency bias, Batman! You never looked at how the National Sports Media and the White Male Sports Media bowed before Brady and Belichick for all those years.
For the record, Garrett Wilson is on a rookie contract and there is zero chance he goes to Green Bay in any trade for Aaron Rodgers.
Huh? Your 1st paragraph makes no sense. But all media folks bowed to NE. And you want know why (PS it’s not a secret) They won 6 SB’s together!
If you could read, I said for GB to make a huge demand. I bet Wilson is TO that Rodgers is demanding to import ‘his own guys’. How insulting to him.
The National Sports Media and the White Male Sports Media looked the other way because the ends justified the means. Spying on opponents. Running up the score. Gangstas in the team. Destruction of evidence.
Aaron Rodgers may want Odell Beckham on the Jets but the club is not inclined to say “yes” given Beckham’s diva rep. Or the fact Beckham hasn’t played since he tore his ACL 13 months ago during a Super Bowl.
Turn off your TV if you’re offended by white media then. Easy solution. $1 says you read and watch ‘White Male Media’. Is Sam R, author of this post, white or black?
Is Sam short for Samatha? Can’t wait to hear your reply!
The Rams offense was once referred to as the “greatest show on earth”. The Jets offense may soon be referred to as the “greatest sham on earth”.
The Jets usually can’t run the ball well anymore and their offensive line is shaky, so why not line up with a QB and 10 wide receivers? OK fine, 1 of them can be a tight end. Trust me, it’ll surprise everyone.
Breece Hall was projected for a 1,000-yard season until he tore his ACL in Denver.