Jets Expected to Sign $115 Million Ex-Pro Bowl WR to Pair With Aaron Rodgers
The New York Jets got close to landing a big fish last year in free agency but just came up short.
ESPN NFL Analyst Aaron Schatz provided a bold prediction that features the green and white changing its fortunes this time around.
Schatz believes Aaron Rodgers gets what he wants and his desire for more playmakers will lead them to pursue and ultimately sign Odell Beckham Jr in free agency.
OBJ’s contract will automatically void after this season making him an unrestricted free agent after a year with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.
This past offseason he signed a one-year deal for $115 million.
Jets Aggressively Pursued OBJ Last Year, Why Wouldn’t They Do It Again?
Last offseason, Gang Green was all in on landing OBJ.
They scheduled a visit with the talented pass catcher but it never took place. Baltimore stepped up to the plate with its contract offer and prevented him from getting on the plane.
ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler said the Jets made a “very competitive” offer to Beckham Jr in 2023.
Fowler explained that OBJ, “probably should’ve been a Jet” based on how talks were going between the two sides.
Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner said, “Odell wanted to play here” and explained how close it was to happening.
“It was to the point where he was picking his jersey. He was telling me, like, ‘Hey, ask so-and-so if I can get the jersey [number I want].’ He was going to wear number 7,” Gardner told Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated.
OBJ was also featured on Rodgers’ wish list that he discussed with the Jets during the offseason regarding players he’d like to play with.
If the Jets were that aggressive and that close to landing Beckham in 2023, why wouldn’t they try again to acquire him if he became available just a year later?
The Jets Might Be Able to Land OBJ at a Discount
One of the reasons the green and white didn’t reel in OBJ was because of the lucrative contract he signed with Baltimore.
“That’s something the Jets couldn’t quite get to,” Fowler explained via Bleacher Report. “Maybe if there was more time, they would’ve gotten close enough to get it done. I do believe Beckham was intrigued about playing with Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers was intrigued about playing with Beckham. Just didn’t come together, but it was very close.”
However, OBJ didn’t have the season he or the Ravens were hoping for.
Beckham appeared in 14 of the 17 games but only made six starts. He finished with just 35 receptions for 565 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
OBJ hasn’t recorded a 1,000-yard season since 2019.
Perhaps that lack of recent success will lower his asking price making him even more attractive to Gang Green.
The Jets need to add another pass catcher this offseason. General manager Joe Douglas made that a clear point of emphasis when speaking to the media on Monday, January 8.
OBJ would be a low-risk, high-reward kind of move for the Jets to consider.
Putting him across Garrett Wilson would provide Rodgers with two standout options heading into the 2024 season.
