Odell Beckham Jr. Embraces Tom Brady Before Game, Sparks Speculation

Tom Brady embraced a superstar wide receiver before Sunday’s Week 2 matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints.

No, we’re not talking about four-time Pro Bowl selection Mike Evans. Not for the purposes of this story, at least.

As a video posted to the Bucs’ official social media accounts showed, Brady shared a hug and a conversation with Odell Beckham Jr. before the NFC South rivals kicked off at Caesars Superdome. OBJ long has been an outspoken fan of the future Hall of Fame quarterback, who once received a gift from the talented wideout after the two battled against each other.

There’s a chance Brady isn’t the main reason why Beckham attended the Bucs-Saints game. After all, the 29-year-old is a New Orleans native and LSU product who is very good friends with Saints wide receiver Jarvis Landry. But considering OBJ’s free-agent status, NFL fans’ antennas were raised when he was captured chopping it up with TB12.

If Tampa Bay actually is interested in Beckham, a signing probably is not imminent. The veteran wide receiver likely still needs roughly two more months to rehab and recover from the torn ACL he suffered in Super Bowl LVI. A return to the reigning champion Los Angeles Rams also feels like the most practical move for OBJ.

But Brady has proven to be an effective recruiter and Tampa Bay figures to be a Super Bowl contender this season. So if the 45-year-old eventually feels his pass-catching group could use a boost, who knows, maybe we’ll see Beckham take his talents to the Sunshine State.