I, a hysterical consumer of the NFL who once altered plans to be able to catch a Nick Mullens start, have been trying to stay emotionally divested from the “Odell Beckham Jr. Sweepstakes” because it feels like it may not ultimately matter (and it feels like not that much of a sweepstakes, if we’re being honest). Like Machine Gun Kelly’s outfit at the American Music Awards, it is something others seem to enjoy discussing but will not significantly alter the day-to-day machinations of my life.
Beckham just turned 30, after all. He hasn’t had a productive, high-volume season since 2019 (74 catches, 1,035 yards, four TDs with the Browns). He tore his ACL in the Super Bowl, and tore it in October ’20. This doesn’t mean he’s not a wonderful person (I think he is, anyway). This doesn’t mean he’s not working hard (I have spoken to the people charged with helping him rehabilitate these injuries, and Beckham’s commitment to a return is staggering). This simply means that all great receivers have a point where they are more of a useful rhythm player than a lead instrumentalist, such as Julio Jones in Tampa Bay. And we are two cycles of hysteria removed from really, truly spending much emotional currency on Jones.
Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com
