Vikings Elevate WR Odell Beckham Jr.

While Beckham is ready to go, he isn’t a lock to suit up in Week 5. Whether Beckham is active will depend on the statuses of starting receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, head coach Kevin O’Connell said (via Kevin Seifert of ESPN). Jefferson missed the Vikings’ 15-10 win over the Dolphins last Sunday with a sprained ankle, and Addison is dealing with a hamstring injury. Both wideouts are listed as questionable.

Beckham enjoyed a highly productive run with the Giants from 2014-18, a 62-game stretch in which he piled up 623 catches, 44 touchdowns and three 1,300-yard seasons. He earned two second-team All-Pro nods and three Pro Bowl trips then, but he is now a 33-year-old journeyman whose star has faded significantly in recent seasons.

Beckham caught just nine passes for 55 yards in nine games with the Dolphins in 2024, leading them to release him before the season ended. He then sat out all of last season and served a six-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Beckham continued to go without a deal until he reunited with the Giants in June. The move excited a portion of the Giants’ fan base, and though Beckham earned a roster spot during the summer, the honeymoon didn’t last long. The Giants released him after he played 20 offensive snaps and went without a catch in their first three games.

If Beckham takes the field in New Orleans on Sunday, it’ll represent a homecoming for the Baton Rouge, La., native and former LSU standout. The same is true for Jefferson, a fellow Louisiana native and LSU product. The Vikings’ receiving corps has offered little production beyond Jefferson and Addison, as quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz have hit Jauan Jennings, Myles Price and Tai Felton just five times for 29 yards.