Odell Beckham Jr. did not reveal on Thursday evening whether or not he would sign with the Los Angeles Rams or the Buffalo Bills.
Although he made it to SoFi Stadium – if only as a spectator – the veteran tweeted wideout as someone who is still on the fence about his 2022 destiny. After a Lombardi Trophy ceremony with the rest of his 2021 Super Bowl champion Rams teammates, free agent Beckham in street clothes (it should be noted they were Rams colors) as the two teams battled back and forth until the Bills finally collapsed. the Rams, 31-10.
Beckham, who turns 30 in November, is still recovering from a torn ACL he sustained in Super Bowl LVI. But he’s still heavily recruited this summer, especially by both the Rams and Bills. Beckham has no official timetable to return from the injury he sustained in February, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently reported that Beckham will likely not be ready to play football until after Thanksgiving.
From his tweets, however, Beckham sounded like someone who was still very much interested in returning to the field. Just two days before the matchup, OBJ insinuated in a tweet that he would sign “who wins Thursday” after new Bills rusher Von Miller recruited him during the off season and made sure to chat with Beckham before the match. The Rams reportedly too kept a locker open also for Beckham during the off-season in anticipation that he would return to LA when he is ready to play again.
But given Beckham’s first tweet of the evening, it’s hard to say when that will be.
As the game progressed, Beckham lurched from a Rams fan to a Bills fan back to a Rams fan. He almost teased both teams with his interest. Or maybe he was just a captivated NFL fan watching two fun teams compete on opening night.
When Cooper Kupp caught an incredible touchdown to make the game 10-10, Beckham tweeted jubilantly. And as Buffalo went big in the second half, OBJ sounded intrigued to join the Bills.
By the end of the game, the Bills were clearly a better team than the defending Super Bowl champions. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford looked overwhelmed by a Bills defense who took him down 15 times, sacked him seven times and intercepted three of his passes. The Los Angeles defense also failed to stop Buffalo’s offense after Josh Allen finished with 353 combined yards and four total touchdowns.
However, the absolute destruction of his former team didn’t seem to help Beckham make any decisions. He tweeted his faith (and heart) in the Rams while simultaneously crowning the Bills as the likely AFC champions after one game.
But maybe OBJ is just what the Rams are missing. Los Angeles didn’t really have a second offensive weapon after Kupp and could certainly have used Beckham’s playing skills (if he was healthy enough). Beckham caught 27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns in eight regular season games for the Rams before adding 21 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s Super Bowl run, including a 2-52-1 line against the Bengals .
Without another solid pass-catching, Stafford punctuated Kupp with a game-high 15 goals – four more than tight end Tyler Higbee and nine more than fellow wideout Ben Skowronek. Free agent acquisition Allen Robinson, who was poised to fill the shoes vacated by Beckham or Robert Woods (now with the Tennessee Titans), finished with just one catch for 12 yards on two goals.
Meanwhile, the Bills may not even need Beckham. Allen finished with 297 passing yards and three passing touchdowns after spreading the ball between wideouts Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Jamison Crowder and Isaiah McKenzie.
Thursday night, Beckham offered a glimpse of what his future might hold. And if he wants to hoist another Super Bowl trophy and wear another ring, he’d better choose wisely.
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