Odell Beckham Jr. Odds: Patriots Betting Favorites To Sign Receiver?
OBJ is a free agent after winning Super Bowl LVI with the Rams
The years-long flirtation between Odell Beckham Jr. and the New England Patriots might be closer than ever to becoming a full-blown relationship.
Not only is Beckham a free agent this offseason, when the Patriots still could use help at wide receiver even after their recent trade for DeVante Parker. New England also is the betting favorite to sign OBJ, per at least one sportsbook.
Bovada released odds on where Beckham will play Game 1 of the 2022 NFL season, and the Patriots as of Tuesday afternoon sat atop the board — by a fairly wide margin.
Here are the full odds on Bovada:
New England Patriots -110
New Orleans Saints +300
Las Vegas Raiders +400
Baltimore Ravens +500
Green Bay Packers +500
Indianapolis Colts +950
Of course, this doesn’t mean Beckham definitely is destined for Foxboro. The Patriots could be a popular wager for this particular futures bet — OBJ and New England head coach Bill Belichick have spoke glowingly of each other in the past — and Bovada therefore is baking that into the odds.
Still, it’s interesting, nonetheless, especially as the Patriots look to surround second-year quarterback Mac Jones with more weapons. Acquiring Parker from the Miami Dolphins should help in that regard, but Beckham would add another dynamic to New England’s offense — when healthy.
That last part is no small tidbit in this case, as Beckham is rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in Super Bowl LVI. He underwent surgery in February. While the 29-year-old showed flashes of his former Pro Bowl self after landing with the Los Angeles Rams last season, it’s fair to question when he’ll return to the gridiron and whether he’ll lack any explosiveness upon doing so.
Beckham, selected 12th overall by the New York Giants in the 2014 NFL Draft, earned three Pro Bowl nods in his first three seasons, a stretch in which he averaged 96 catches for 1,374 receiving yards with 11.7 touchdowns. His production dipped, rather dramatically, in his two-plus seasons with the Cleveland Browns, but he performed well enough with the Rams to suggest he still has something left in the tank.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this month that Beckham and the Patriots had “exploratory talks” early in NFL free agency.
