The Steelers’ Shocking Last-Second Push for Former Rival Odell Beckham Jr. Proves Their Burning Desire to Win
The Odell Beckham Jr. free agency saga was a short-lived, yet wildly entertaining saga. After being released by the Cleveland Browns and passing through waivers unclaimed, Beckham Jr. had the opportunity to sign with the team of his choosing. The Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Rams (the team he signed with) were the most vocal pursuers of OBJ. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers surprisingly got involved late.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Steelers were among the last teams Beckham Jr. spoke with before making his final decision.
The Steelers made a last-second push for Odell Beckham Jr.
After sifting through his interested suitors for a few days, Beckham Jr. started to narrow his interest down to LA. They were offering him the most money, and he had the opportunity to join a roster primed for a deep playoff run, something Beckham Jr. has yet to experience during his NFL career.
With that said, the Steelers did put in a last-second call on their former division rival.
It was just as much of a whirlwind to get here. From the beginning, Beckham spotlighted the Rams and Packers as his top choices. One source said he recruited the Rams as much as they recruited him.
He received an offer at the veteran’s minimum from the Packers, while most of the rest of the offers were around a $1 million base salary with a chance to make a few more million with incentives. The Chiefs, Patriots, Seahawks, Saints and Packers all made offers, as did the Rams.
Interestingly, when Beckham was narrowing it down, the Steelers called to make a play, too. But by then, he was on to finalists.
Ian Rapoport
The Steelers keep signalling their desire to win now
Despite an overall aging roster and a quarterback who’s on the wrong side of 35, the Steelers have signaled all year long their desire to win now, as opposed to rebuilding.
In addition to their reported OBJ interest, the Steelers also discussed a Fletcher Cox trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Cox is aging himself and is on a massive contract — only a team with Super Bowl aspirations makes that trade.
Obviously, the Steelers failed to acquire Cox and Beckham Jr. However, their interest in both players tells us a lot about the franchise. They want to win. This is a mindset that will likely carry over into 2022 as well.
What next for Odell Beckham Jr.?
By the time the Steelers called, Beckham Jr. had already made up his mind about signing with the Rams. he joins a star-studded cast that recently added Super Bowl champion Von Miller as well.
While early impressions envisioned the Rams struggling to get OBJ the football, the recent loss of WR Robert Woods to a torn ACL makes Beckham Jr’s presence that much more important. He’s now the established WR2 on the depth chart.
Beckham Jr. is expected to make his Rams debut against the San Francisco 49ers on November 15.
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