Following Odell Beckham Jr. being released from the Browns during the 2021 season, the Patriots were one of the teams rumored to be in the mix for his services.
Speaking during Super Bowl Opening Night, the star wide receiver confirmed he was close to signing with New England and it may have been different if Tom Brady were still the quarterback.
“Very. Very, very, very [close to signing],” he said to reporters.
The current Rams receiver also said he and Belichick spoke on the phone.
“I don’t think I joked with him on the phone,” he said. “But I was like, if this was three years ago, it would have been ideal. Because Tom is one of the -- he’s one of my favorites.”
Beckham Jr. added: “For a guy, coach like Bill Belichick, who’ve all admired for years and I’ve seen and just always was like, ‘Man, one day, I’m gonna play for Bill Belichick.’ For him to call me, to be able to just sit down on the phone with him and talk football, I mean, what more could you ask for? So, I was very close. That was one of the teams that was in there. But I felt like this was home.”
So, how should the Patriots feel about Beckham Jr. not choosing them?
While some may look into this and say he didn’t want to play with Mac Jones and the Patriots are no longer a draw, think again. He’s 29 years old and his No. 1 goal is to win a championship. The Rams, as well as many other NFL teams, had a better chance of getting to the Super Bowl than the Patriots this season, so why wouldn’t he sign elsewhere?
It had nothing to do with Jones or Belichick. With Brady, the Patriots were always in the mix to win a Super Bowl, which is why they would have been more of a draw for Beckham Jr. a few years ago.
Relating to the current Patriots team for 2022, if they tried to add a receiver during last year, shouldn’t that be an indication they will be looking to boost the position this offseason?
We’ll see how that all plays out come free agency in March.
