On Wednesday, a report emerged that several teams are interested in free-agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. As it turns out, Beckham himself disclosed one of them in June.
Appearing on the Club Random Podcast with Bill Maher, Beckham addressed whether he’ll join forces with quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh.
“I love him; we’ve had conversations,” Beckham told Maher, via Jack Markowski of SI.com. “I won’t say that it’s not a possibility and I won’t say that I haven’t had any communications.”
And it’s more than Rodgers. “I fucking love [Mike] Tomlin,” Beckham said. “I was actually supposed to be drafted to the Steelers. That was the meeting that I had that I was like, ‘I think I’m going to the Steelers.’ And the Giants ended up taking me at twelve.” (The Steelers were on the clock three picks later.)
The episode was posted on June 30. Nothing has happened since then. A Week 1 date is looming between the Steelers and Jets in a stadium with which Beckham has some experience.
Rodgers and Beckham nearly joined forces four years ago. After the Browns released Beckham, the Packers tried to sign him. Their offer, by all appearances, was below market and perfunctory, perhaps with the goal of making Rodgers think they tried.
The Steelers arguably have a need at receiver. But it won’t be easy for Beckham to show up in late August and be ready to go.
The clock is ticking, loudly. Time will tell whether Beckham ends up with the Steelers or another team with a full chance to make a difference in 2025.