The Green Bay Packers have missed out on free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Despite many rumors linking OBJ with a move to Green Bay, the former Pro Bowler has chosen the Los Angeles Rams as his next destination.
Kim Jones of NFL Network had reported that Beckham was “on the fence” between the Packers and Rams. His choice ended up being Los Angeles.
According to NFL reporter Jordan Schultz, Beckham didn’t ever feel that Green Bay “was all-in”, with the opposite being true with Los Angeles. Perhaps that tells us all we need to know about how strong GM Brian Gutekunst went in to sign OBJ.
The Rams are Super Bowl contenders and have gone all-in for 2021, most recently trading for star edge rusher Von Miller. However, it must have been difficult to pass up the opportunity to line up next to Davante Adams and catch passes from Aaron Rodgers.
For the Packers, it’s yet another superstar free agent heavily linked with them only to sign elsewhere. It was a similar story with J.J. Watt, Stephon Gilmore, Allen Robinson, among many others.
Beckham will in fact be playing at Lambeau Field in little over two weeks when the Packers host the Rams in Week 12.
There’s no doubt that Beckham could’ve helped Matt LaFleur’s offense, but instead Joe Barry will now need to prepare a game plan to stop him, along with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, when the Rams visit Lambeau in a couple of weeks.
Is this a move that can take the Rams to the next level? Perhaps. Is it one the Packers will regret not making a stronger push for? Only time will tell.
But not for the first time and certainly not the last, the Packers fall short in an attempt to sign a star player who has become a free agent.