Odell Beckham Jr.’s name has been tied to the New England Patriots over the years in the form of rumors, and nothing has ever crystallized between the two sides.
But there could be another chance for fantasy to turn into reality with the former All-Pro receiver working his way back from an ACL injury. There will be plenty of potential suitors for an elite receiving option, including the defending champion Los Angeles Rams.
However, the Patriots could also be a team to watch, following a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that they showed significant interest in Beckham’s free agent market.
Fowler wrote:
“New England is worth watching because I’m told it heavily evaluated Beckham’s market early in free agency in March. Like most teams, it knew Beckham’s recovery would take a while, so talks never went anywhere.”
With Beckham on the brink of returning, the Patriots could once again resume those talks.
DeVante Parker, who was New England’s “big get” in free agency, has mostly been hit and miss, while Kendrick Bourne looks lost on offense. Meanwhile, Nelson Agholor has continued to disappoint, despite having the team’s third-highest salary cap hit.
Beckham could potentially give the Patriots a legitimate outside option to pair with top wideout Jakobi Meyers.
That’s obviously assuming Beckham looks as good as he did at Super Bowl LIV before going down with the injury. But even at less than 100 percent, he’d still be the best option for the Patriots, outside of Meyers.