It was fun to fantasize about Odell Beckham Jr. on the Patriots for a couple of days. Then this interminable wait came along.
Does the egotistical wideout know what it means to clear waivers? It means, nobody really wants you!
The timeline for OBJ’s decision has been extended to Sunday, according to ESPN’s Diana Russini. The Packers are the reported favorites, but don’t rule out the Saints or Chiefs. Maybe the Seahawks or Raiders could be landing spots, too. The Patriots are “definitely” involved.
Are we really doing this over an oft-injured wideout who has 41 catches over the last two seasons?
Beckham, for all of his magazine covers and highlight-reel grabs, is damaged goods right now. The 29-year-old receiver is coming off an ACL tear, and has caught only 17 passes for 232 yards this season. He also made his young quarterback worse. Baker Mayfield is 13-15 with Beckham, and 8-4 without him.
Like most general managers, Bill Belichick’s record on accumulation projects is mixed. Randy Moss and Corey Dillon were home runs, while Chad Ochocinco and Antonio Brown were huge whiffs. Albert Haynesworth was even worse than that.
OBJ isn’t in the same category as the latter two, as his biggest crime is petulance. The Browns released Beckham after his father had shared a video to social media showing all the times Mayfield didn’t throw to Beckham when he was open. LeBron James chimed in on the “free OBJ” movement as well.
This is Beckham’s perceived last chance. Earlier this week, Moss compared Beckham’s situation to his own. The Hall of Famer was on his so-called last chance when Belichick acquired him during the 2007 NFL Draft.
Moss responded with one of the best seasons of his career. Beckham is making everybody wait around.
The OBJ intrigue deflates with each passing hour. He enjoys a well-documented bromance with Belichick, but at this point, it’s been love for afar. The calculation changes when OBJ could be in the locker room, in the ear of an impressionable rookie quarterback.
With seemingly little interest, Beckham may be holding out for an offer that never comes (NFL Media's Ian Rapoport says he wants to find a "home" rather than "catch lightning in a bottle). The Browns are already paying him $4.25 million to play elsewhere. His free agent decision is about playing football and rebuilding his value.
But if that were his only considerations, this saga would probably be over. It’s time for the Patriots, and public, to move on.
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