On May 3, the Miami Dolphins signed free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal worth up to $8.25 million, according to NFL Media. But before signing with the Dolphins, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler revealed that the Kansas City Chiefs were one of the teams Odell considered playing for.
“Odell Beckham is taking a big chance on Mike McDaniel unlocking him. He wants to perform, and he still wants to be a main target. He feels like the Dolphins can help him achieve that,” Fowler explained during a segment on ESPN’s SportsCenter on May 4, as transcribed by Bleacher Report. “Now, they had an upside package of a little over $8 million, so they came to a sweet spot there in the negotiation.
“There were some other teams in the mix. I was told Kansas City was appealing to Odell Beckham, Buffalo as well. But in the end, he believes this offense can still help him prove something. This is a player who put up less than 600 yards last year in Baltimore; probably didn’t go the way he wanted. So, he’s going to go be the third option, of course, behind Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, but he feels like there’s enough footballs to go around.”
Once Again, Odell Beckham Jr. Chooses Money Over Chiefs
For what feels like the millionth time, Odell considered playing for Kansas City before deciding to sign with an inferior team.
That could be because the two-time defending Super Bowl champions are comfortable with the makeup of their current receiver room and likely weren’t willing to pay the aging veteran his asking price.
The Chiefs added receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in free agency and drafted receiver Xavier Worthy in the first round of the Draft in April. Pairing those players with tight end Travis Kelce and second-year wideout Rashee Rice gives quarterback Patrick Mahomes several explosive options to choose from in the passing game, which is bad news for the rest of the NFL.
Odell Beckham Jr. is Well Beyond His Best Years
Beckham, who has earned $98.9 million during his NFL career according to Spotrac, played the 2023 season with the Baltimore Ravens. As a complementary piece of Baltimore’s offense, Beckham, who played in 14 regular season games, finished second on the team in receiving yards (565), fourth in receptions (35) and fifth in receiving touchdowns (3), per ESPN.
It’s been 10 years since the New York Giants selected Odell 12th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. Though Odell has had an overall successful NFL career, it’s been several years since he has consistently looked like the explosive playmaker New York drafted. Part of that is because of injuries; it’s been five years since Odell has played in all 16 regular season games.
That’s why Odell’s one-year deal with Miami is heavily incentive-laden. He is well beyond his best years, and the Dolphins — like presumably any other team that would consider signing Odell — didn’t want to take on a lot of risk when they signed him.
Throughout his NFL career, Odell has accumulated 566 receptions, 7,932 yards, and 59 touchdowns in 110 regular season games played, according to Pro Football Reference.
