Photos: Kathy Willens/AP. Rey Del Rio/Getty
The Patriots have a pretty crowded receiver room right now, even after the trade involving N’Keal Harry on Tuesday.
However, if the team can go out and add Odell Beckham Jr. to the group, it’s something that should seriously be considered, we know it has been in the past.
On Tuesday night, Beckham Jr. sent out a tweet that read: “Keep playin wit me like I’m done…y’all know I love the last laugh” with a yawning emoji at the end. Clearly, the superstar receiver who tore his ACL during the Rams’ Super Bowl win last year still has something to prove, but what does this tweet actually mean?
It’s a dangerous game to try and get in the mind of OBJ, but it feels like he isn’t getting the love in free agency he thought he might. Obviously, taking a chance on an older receiver coming off a severe injury isn’t something a lot of teams are going to jump at, which could play right into Bill Belichick’s hands.
We all know he loves cheap deals, so what if New England can bring a veteran receiver for little money while he’s in “prove it” mode? It feels like a lot of his antics have subsided and he truly has become a professional. That’s not to say you’re not going to get some drama with him, but that’s the case with any great receiver.
We also know that OBJ was already very close to signing here. Back in February, Beckham talked about his free agent process before he ultimately signed with the Rams. Bill Belichick even put a recruitment phone call out to Beckham Jr.
“I don’t think I joked with him on the phone,” Beckham said. “But, I was like, if this was three years ago, it would have been ideal. Because Tom (Brady) is one of the – he’s one of my favorites.”
Well, there’s still no Tom Brady, but with Mac Jones showing he’s a competent quarterback, would he consider it this time around? The Belichick respect is there and if no one else is going to pick up the phone, it seems like it’s more than plausible.
In this writer’s opinion, the Patriots are actually going to be a lot better than people think offensively, but if the opportunity to bring in Odell becomes realistic, it’s worth bringing him into camp to see if he’s still got anything left in the tank at the very least.