Odell Beckham Jr. could be intriguing option for Cardinals in 2022

Odell Beckham Jr.’s fantastic performance over the past couple of months could pique the interest of the Arizona Cardinals.

One of the most talked-about aspects of the Arizona Cardinals offseason thus far has been the club’s plans for the wide receiver position. Both Christian Kirk and A.J. Green are scheduled to hit the free-agent market, and there’s no guarantee that either player will return.

If Kirk and Green elect to fly the coop, there’s another veteran pass-catcher who could also be available when free agency gets underway next month. Odell Beckham Jr., who will be starting for the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday in Super Bowl LVI, would be an intriguing option for the Cards. Would general manager Steve Keim consider acquiring an individual who’s been embroiled in controversy at different points in his career?

On the field, the pairing of Beckham and superstar wideout DeAndre Hopkins would be a fascinating sight to see. Quarterback Kyler Murray (or whoever else is Arizona’s signal-caller in 2022) would have two top-tier receivers to utilize in the “Air Raid” offense next fall.

Arizona Cardinals watched in horror as a division foe landed Odell Beckham Jr.  

When the Rams lost starting wide receiver Robert Woods to a torn ACL back in November, the team’s front office aggressively looked to replace him. Enter “OBJ”, the eighth-year professional who had been released by the Cleveland Browns just three days earlier. Beckham has suddenly been reborn, and he has been a natural fit for head coach Sean McVay’s vaunted scoring attack.

In eight regular-season appearances (seven starts) for Los Angeles, Beckham hauled in 27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns. The 29-year-old has raised his level of play even more in the postseason, tallying 27 catches, 236 receiving yards, and a score in three playoff wins.

Despite the harmony between the player and the Rams franchise, finances will play a role in which squad Beckham catches passes for next season. Los Angeles, at the moment, is projected to have even less salary-cap money to work with than the Cardinals in 2022. Could Keim swoop in and steal such a productive commodity from a division rival?

As mentioned previously, Beckham has been a controversial figure at times since he entered the league with the New York Giants back in 2014. In December of 2015, the NFL Disciplinary Committee suspended the former number-one draft pick for one game without pay for multiple violations of safety-related playing rules. This past November, Beckham’s father overstepped his bounds by expressing outrage on social media about the way his son was being used in the Browns offense.

If the indiscretions can be overlooked, Beckham would be quite an addition to the Cardinals lineup. It will be interesting to see if the front office agrees with that assessment when the NFL’s free-agent signing period begins in March.