Odell Beckham Jr.’s price has reportedly gone down. But not by much.
Beckham is thought to be seeking a one-year deal for $15 million, which is pricey for a 30-year-old receiver coming off his second ACL surgery. A deal in the $10 million to $12 million range seems more likely, with a chance to earn more with incentives.
On one hand: If Beckham is ready to take a one-year deal — he was angling for a multi-year pact during his farcical free agency tour last fall — it is just money. And a relatively low-risk flier deal. The Jets (or any other potential suitor) would just throw in a void year or two to finesse the cap hits and see what happens. Maybe Beckham returns to Pro Bowl form, maybe he doesn’t. Either way, the team is protected. And if you are the Jets, you will likely make more cumbersome moves to appease Aaron Rodgers than this one.
MORE: What would Giants or Jets sell for on open market?
But on the other: Beckham is 30-years-old (31 in November). He has suffered three significant lower-body injuries (two torn ACLs in the same knee, broken ankle) in his career, as well as battled hamstring and quadriceps issues. He missed all of last season. And the truly incredible numbers: Each NFL team has played 146 regular season games since Beckham was drafted into the league, while has played in 96.
In other words, Beckham has missed a third of the regular season during his career. And if you want to remove the 2022 season where he was not a member of a team, he has still missed a quarter of the games.
Oh, and all the off-the-field nonsense, too.
Someone is going to sign Beckham eventually. It will probably be the Jets. But if they go any higher than $10-12 million, they are really rolling the dice with reckless abandon.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
