Despite Odell Beckham Jr.-related free-agency noise quieting in recent weeks, the Rams still have the standout wide receiver in their plans. Sean McVay wants the ninth-year veteran back in his offense.
Beckham finished his first Rams contract on a bittersweet note, tearing an ACL during a Super Bowl he helped the team win. Although the defending champions have added Allen Robinson on a $15.5M-per-year deal and are prepared to give Cooper Kupp a raise of some sort, another OBJ deal remains the goal.
“Oh, of course. I really want Odell back on our team,” McVay said during an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show" (via NFL.com) this week. “He’s a guy that, in a short amount of time, we were able to develop a really special relationship. I thought he brought a great spark to our team. I thought he played really well. He’s a great teammate.
“Without a doubt, want to get Odell back here. That’s the goal and continuing to work toward a solution of him re-signing with the Rams.”
Beckham collected $4.75M from the Rams for a partial season of work and would have been a sought-after free agent had the ACL tear — his second in 15 months — not occurred. But the 29-year-old pass-catcher is not expected to be ready to start this season. It might be until late October until OBJ can play again.
Still, he has been connected to the Patriots, Packers and even the Browns this offseason. Rams brass, however, consistently spoke of a reunion back in March. They did not draft a wideout last month. Second-round pick Tutu Atwell, who missed much of his rookie season due to injury, also remains in the picture. But a clear top four of Kupp, Robinson, Beckham and Van Jefferson would represent one of the best wideout quartets in recent memory. It will be interesting if a team needier at wide receiver steps up with a noticeably better offer, but a Beckham return would give the Rams a stacked receiver depth chart reminiscent of the one they had for about a day last season — prior to Robert Woods‘ ACL tear.
OBJ alluded to wanting to stay in Los Angeles on Twitter; money, as could be expected, remains an issue. Holding barely $5M in cap space, the Rams are near the bottom of the league here. Although, they frequently figure out ways to fit stars onto their payroll. New deals for Kupp and Aaron Donald could carve out more space as well, as they push big cap numbers down the road.
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