SOME ODELL OPTIONS
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
The New England Patriots’ sudden boatload of four draft picks in the top two rounds of this month’s draft screams a big Bill Belichick move upcoming — for a quarterback, perhaps? Or maybe even (why not?) for Odell Beckham Jr. That’s not a likely outcome, but it’s not impossible, either. For while the L.A. Rams are out of the OBJ sweepstakes, that doesn’t mean the Giants won’t find a trade partner if they ultimately decide to part ways. The Rams’ and Giants’ publicized trade talks alerted the NFL’s 30 other GMs to Beckham’s availability, so until the Giants re-sign Beckham to the long-term contract extension he desires, it remains possible they’ll deal him away. The next step for the Giants is to commit to Beckham being on the team in 2018, which they refused to do at last week’s league meetings in Orlando. Beckham’s next test will be whether he shows up on Monday for the start of Giants offseason workouts in East Rutherford. Attendance is optional but his absence would mean something.
So unless Beckham or the Giants clarify the star receiver’s contract and trade status, the drama will build all the way to the NFL Draft’s opening night on April 26. And over the next few weeks, there are a few NFL GMs to keep a close watch on in the OBJ Sweepstakes:
Niners GM John Lynch locked up young quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on a record five-year, $137.5 million contract and spent money on free agent center Weston Richburg and running back Jerick McKinnon to surround Garoppolo with more pieces. But he didn’t make a huge splash at receiver as many had expected; he simply extended Marquise Goodwin at a reasonable $6.2 million cap average (through 2021) to pair with Pierre Garcon ($9.2 million through 2021) and Aldrick Robinson ($2 million through 2018). Lynch made six trades during his first draft as Niners GM last spring, so he’s not afraid to make a deal. And he holds the ninth overall pick, a second-rounder (59th) and two third-rounders (70th and 74th) among his nine draft choices in this month’s draft. The Niners also have $46 million in cap space, per NFLPA records.
The Chargers will share a new $2.6 billion stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the Rams, and Beckham certainly would draw eyeballs and ticket sales for the stadium’s 2020 season debut. And while Keenan Allen ($11.25 million annually) is a No. 1 wideout, he has an injury history, and 2017 No. 7 overall pick Mike Williams (Clemson) barely contributed as a rookie due to injury, too. GM Tony Telesco and the Chargers do appear interested in drafting a quarterback so if they’re using their 17th overall pick on Lamar Jackson, for example, they’d likely be doing so instead of making a deal for OBJ (that pick would have to go back to the Giants in any trade). And Telesco only has $5 million of cap space, per NFLPA records. Still, space will open up quickly with some contracts coming off the books in 2019. Plus, veteran quarterback Philip Rivers, 36, is nearing the end with just two years left at $22
million plus.
Gettleman certainly won’t do his former franchise any favors, but a quick look at Cam Newton’s weapons demonstrates an obvious need for a star receiver that could headline a field of talented complements in RB Christian McCaffrey, WR Devin Funchess and WR Curtis Samuel (all Gettleman draft picks) and TE Greg Olsen and WR Torrey Smith (the high receiver at $5 million for two more years). Panthers GM Marty Hurney owns the 24th overall pick, a second-rounder (55th) and two thirds (85th and 88th) at the top of this draft. Similar to the Chargers, while Carolina holds only $5 million in cap space now per the NFLPA, contracts are scheduled to clear space quickly into 2019 and players coming back to the Giants in a trade could offset some costs. For Beckham, Charlotte isn’t Los Angeles, but I find it hard to believe Beckham would say no to playing with Newton. And landing Beckham could help Carolina hit a reset button on optimism about the team’s future.
Larry Fitzgerald, 34, is nearing the end with just one year remaining on his deal. The Cardinals just signed Cowboys reserve Brice Butler but have no heir to Fitzgerald. And GM Steve Keim could use some formidable weapons through the air to complement returning stud running back David Johnson. Keim’s short-term quarterback plan of Sam Bradford/Mike Glennon also clearly indicates that at some point soon Arizona will be bringing a young, cheap rookie quarterback contract in. And that’s more money to pay OBJ in addition to the $19 million in cap space the Cards boast now. Keim holds the 15th overall pick, a second rounder (47th) and two thirds (79th and 97th) at the top of this month’s draft. New head coach Steve Wilks is a no-nonsense leader who interviewed for the Giants job. And Beckham could do worse than the Phoenix/Scottsdale/Glendale area when it comes to weather and a hop-skip flight back to L.A. when he has time off.
Belichick and the Patriots after trading Brandin Cooks to the Rams now hold the 23rd and 31st picks in the first round and the 43rd and 63rd in the second. There are whispers of their strong interest in UCLA QB Josh Rosen, and certainly Belichick’s trade of Garoppolo for only that 43rd overall secondround pick to San Fran puts pressure on him now to find yet another capable successor for whenever (if ever) Tom Brady hangs them up for good. Limited cap space ($6.8 million) and Belichick’s track record of spending limited financial resources at receiver are more reasons why New England might not even pursue OBJ. And on Thursday night, Belichick provided another example of his value-bargain hunting by signing former Eagles/Bills WR Jordan Matthews to a one-year deal. But the temptation to team Beckham with Brady, 40, demands at least a phone call and conversation.