The Patriots-Odell Beckham Jr. rumors are heating up.
On Tuesday night, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported New England indeed contacted Beckham after the star receiver cleared waivers and became a free agent. Soon afterward, during his "Patriots Podcast," Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal offered further insight into New England's pursuit of the 29-year-old Beckham, including the franchise's confidence in completing a deal.
"What I've heard is the Patriots are in on him," Bedard said. "They've had discussions with Odell's camp, but they are not the only team. There are several teams that have had discussions with him. ... It'll be interesting to see if Beckham, sort of, pushes this a little bit. It could cause teams like, I would think the Patriots, would get out pretty quickly. I think they're the team that pretty stakes their case and says, 'This is the deal; this is what we're offering you; this is what you can gain by coming with us -- take it or leave it.' They don't wanna be dragged out. ... I don't think a lot of these teams want him to take his time. I think they want him in the building as soon as possible. I think the Patriots would love to have him on the field against his former team on Sunday."
Bedard added: "I think they're fully in it. .. Yeah, the Patriots are in this."
So how do the Patriots feel about their chances of landing Beckham?
"I think, the way I would term it is, I think they feel that they have a pretty good chance at landing him," Bedard said. "Considering Belichick, where this team is going, some of the veteran leadership on this team. I think they feel they're in a good position to land Odell."
Whether the feeling is mutual remains to be seen. Multiple reports indicate the Green Bay Packers are one of Beckham's preferred destinations, and the New Orleans Saints also have been connected the superstar wideout. On Sunday night, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that Beckham prefers to join the Seattle Seahawks.
So, yeah, it's kind of hard to get a good read on what's going on.
Beckham, roughly a year removed from tearing an ACL, had 17 catches for 232 yards and zero touchdowns in six games with the Browns this season. He has not eclipsed the 1,100-yard mark since 2016 when he was with the New York Giants.
