Odell Beckham Jr. next team odds: Packers favored over Chiefs; Saints, Seahawks, Patriots longer shots with decision likely Wednesday
Former Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to sign with a team today.
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As expected, former Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham Jr. cleared waivers Tuesday after he was officially released by the Cleveland Browns on Monday. Any claiming team would have owed Beckham $7.25 million this season, and few clubs had that much in salary-cap space. OBJ is now free to sign with any team he chooses and unconfirmed reports are that it's down to the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints. SportsLine offers odds on his decision, which is expected today.
Green Bay and Kansas City are obvious choices as they have two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Aaron Rodgers – who is likely to return from COVID on Sunday vs. Seattle – and Patrick Mahomes, and both are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Beckham has yet to sniff a Super Bowl appearance with the Giants and Browns.
The Packers are +550 to win the NFC and the Chiefs +650 to capture the AFC again. A Beckham signing likely would shrink those odds slightly – and only slightly because Beckham hasn't been very effective or healthy the past two seasons (and eager fans would start betting OBJ's team simply due to name value). Green Bay reportedly has offered Beckham the veterans' minimum thus far but has more cap space than Kansas City does.
New Orleans has a terrific overall roster but probably is not a realistic Super Bowl contender -- +2500 to win the NFC -- after losing QB Jameis Winston to a season-ending injury. If Beckham wants to rebuild his career and get more money this offseason, would he really go to a team that has Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill at QB? Beckham is from New Orleans area and of course starred at LSU. The Saints have the second-least amount of cap space in the NFL.
Seattle and New England have reached out to Beckham's representatives. Baltimore also has been mentioned. Via SportsLine Model creator Stephen Oh, Beckham would not affect any rest-of-season projections "because he hasn't been productive for the last two seasons, he actually does not move the needle for any of these teams."
If Beckham in the back of his mind wants to stick it to the Browns in a game this season, Cleveland is at New England this Sunday and at Green Bay on Christmas. The Browns still play the Ravens twice, already played the Chiefs and don't face the Seahawks or Saints. It's obviously too early to know if OBJ could debut for his new team in Week 10 with COVID protocols, etc.
Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Which team will sign Odell Beckham Jr?
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