Patriots should look to add Odell Beckham Jr. due to Bill Belichick admiration
By Jerry Trotta
One of the NFL’s greatest mysteries is why Odell Beckham Jr. and Baker Mayfield have been unable to make it work in Cleveland.
Some claim it’s due to the Browns’ run-heavy offense. Some think Mayfield doesn’t boast the requisite arm strength to accentuate Beckham’s skillset. There’s also a crowd that believes the two just don’t get along.
Whatever the case, film shows that Mayfield has failed (refused?) to get Beckham the ball even when the star receiver has been open.
This prevailing disconnect came to a head this week, as the Browns excused Beckham from practice before he was finally released on Friday.
The former All-Pro figures to have a long list of teams vying for his services, and the New England Patriots should absolutely be one of them … and it goes beyond their need to add more pizzaz to their passing game.
A few days ago, a clip of Belichick professing his admiration for Bill Belichick went viral on Twitter. Check this out, Patriots fans.
Friendly reminder of OBJ on what he thinks of Bill Belichick 🤔 pic.twitter.com/h7FlWikg3j
— Kevin Rooney (@Rooney013) November 3, 2021
Odell Beckham’s adoration for Bill Belichick proves the Patriots need to sign him immediately.
What more evidence do the Patriots need? It’s unclear when that clip was recorded, but that shouldn’t matter. Beckham is practically begging for the chance to play under the greatest head coach in the history of the NFL.
The only problem? Beckham’s contract. However, it’s a salvageable predicament. The now-former Brown is due just over $8 million for the rest of the season and the Patriots have just $6.5 million in available cap space, according to Spotrac.
If New England is legitimately interested in Beckham, surely a Patriots player would volunteer to have his contract restructured, no? If we know anything about the way Belichick runs this franchise, there was probably 10 players knocking on his door this morning asking him to tinker with their contracts.
Sources: The #Browns are releasing star WR Odell Beckham Jr., as the two sides came together on a resolution to end his Cleveland tenure. At long last, he’s out and he’ll head to waivers.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 5, 2021
Seriously, when are the Patriots going to get another opportunity like this? We know Beckham comes with baggage, but it doesn’t take a lot to make him happy. He’s a superstar who wants the ball in his hands.
Is that really such a bad thing? The last time we checked, the Patriots don’t have any superstar talents on the offensive side of the ball.
We can understand why they didn’t pursue OBJ at the deadline. Him getting released was always the expected outcome, so teams backed off.
However, with Beckham officially on the open market and a slew of contenders — like the Packers, Saints, Chiefs, Raiders, Ravens and 49ers — potentially open for business at the WR position, the Patriots will need to act fast.
Beckham clearly wants to play for Belichick. Make. It. Happen.
