Ex-NFL exec: Odell Beckham Jr. could determine who wins Super Bowl LVII

Former NFL executive Joe Banner believes that free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. could ultimately help determine which team wins Super Bowl LVII in February 2023. 

"If all you get is what he was at the end of last season for the (Los Angeles Rams), you’re getting a difference-making player at a position that has increased in value around the league dramatically in the last couple years," Banner explained for The 33rd Team website, as shared by Bridget Hyland of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "It’s gotta be a team that knows they're going to be in the playoffs, I think five games is maybe the best case scenario, two or three is the worst [for him to play] ... he easily could be the guy who decides who wins the first round, who wins the championship game, who wins the Super Bowl. That’s the level of talent he brings."

Beckham signed for the Rams last November and tallied 27 receptions for 305 yards and five touchdowns over eight regular-season games. He then recorded 21 catches for 288 yards and two scores across the playoffs until he went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals that's kept him out of action through the end of October. 

The three-time Pro Bowl selection has been linked with returns to the Rams and fellow former club the New York Giants. The Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs have also been mentioned as options for the veteran who turns 30 years old early next month. 

For a piece published on Oct. 19, ESPN's Dan Graziano reported that "two team executives familiar with the Beckham situation told me last week that the realistic time frame for Beckham to be recovered from his knee injury and available to play is around mid-December." It's unclear if that could cause teams to shy away from signing OBJ before or around Christmas Day.