According to his former teammate Von Miller, Odell Beckham Jr is planning to visit the Bucs
It’s been thrown around – many times tongue-in-cheek – that the Bucs should bring in Odell Beckham Jr. for a playoff run in hopes that he can send Tom Brady off into the sunset with one last Lombardi. Rumors and hopes hit a fever pitch a few weeks ago thanks to a pre-game hug shared by Brady and OBJ before the Bucs played the New Orleans Saints.
.@obj @TomBrady pic.twitter.com/zMYdUmVPPC
— Tampa Bay Bucs (@Bucs) September 18, 2022
Now, the rumor mill is heating up even more after Buffalo Bills outside linebacker – and former Beckham Jr. teammate – Von Miller said that he speaks with Beckham Jr. every week and that he is planning some team visits that includes the Bucs;
Von Miller said that he talks to Odell Beckham Jr. every week and that he’s sure the WR could see himself fitting in with the Bills.
Miller said OBJ “is going on tour now. He’s going to Giants practice facility, and the Saints, Tampa, and all that stuff, which you should.”
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) October 5, 2022
While the Giants likely hold a special place in Beckham’s heart as the first team he played for and the thought of playing near home in New Orleans is probably intriguing, the Bucs are the only one of the teams on Beckham’s “tour” Miller listed that can be considered a contender – and that’s the Bucs.
Beckham decided to go ahead and weigh in on the situation while keeping the mood light;
@stefondiggs @VonMiller oh yeaaaa Von!?!? Lol disclosing personal information … but what’s good tho? What y’all got to eat out there
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) October 5, 2022
Beckham was well on his way to becoming the Super Bowl LVI MVP before tearing his ACL. Given the timeline, Beckham probably wouldn’t be ready for real game action until mid-December which is just in time for the playoff run.
While the Julio Jones experiment was a good idea in theory, his body is once again failing him. Jones is dealing with a partial PCL tear and has been ineffective in the two games he’s played in outside of one explosive reception against the Cowboys – the play where he likely suffered the knee injury.
The Bucs brought in Russell Gage to take some of the pressure off Mike Evans and Chris Godwin but outside of the Packers game – when Godwin, Evans, and Jones were all inactive – he hasn’t garnered the targets expected given his contract.
Beckham and Brady are good friends and although the last time the Bucs brought in a receiver friend of Brady’s that had been categorized as a “diva” didn’t end well, all you’re talking about in this situation is a handful of games to try and make a strong playoff push in a weak NFC. If it works out, great. If not, he’s likely not returning without Brady.
Beckham would be a “hired gun” for the Bucs that could parlay another impressive postseason into a big money deal in free agency – something he likely would have done this past year had it not been for the injury.