Some things require seeing to be believed.
One such thing is the future playing career of receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
He has been forgotten since being released by the Dolphins during the 2024 regular season. Recently, he reminded the world that he’s still interested in playing, by responding to a fake report indicating that Beckham had retired.
Boosting Beckham’s claim is this report from Tom Pelissero of NFL Media/ESPN*, which looks and feels like a favor for an agent: “Three-time Pro Bowl WR Odell Beckham Jr. has drawn interest from several teams and plans to play somewhere in 2025, per source. As OBJ posted himself, he is not retiring, and he continues to train in anticipation of being on the field soon.”
If he has drawn interest from several teams, why isn’t he on one?
Two years ago, the Ravens surprisingly overpaid him $15 million guaranteed on a one-year deal, in a move that may have paved the way to get quarterback Lamar Jackson to agree to terms on a five-year contract. Last year, the Dolphins paid Beckham a fraction of that — and it never clicked.
Healthy when released after the trade deadline, Beckham’s name was not mentioned once as a candidate to join a contender during the playoff run.
Now, nine months after he became a free agent, he’s suddenly in demand?
Again, we’ll believe it when we see it.
Beckham started his career with Hall of Fame numbers through three seasons. Then, the decline began. And while Beckham was on track to be the Super Bowl LVI MVP before his knee with a pre-torn ACL gave out, he hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2019, his first year with the Browns.
Last year, he had nine catches for 55 yards in nine games. It had seemed to be a foregone conclusion that his time in the NFL had ended.
Maybe it hasn’t. Again, we’ll believe it when we see it.
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