Andy Reid addresses Odell Beckham Jr. rumors

The “Chiefs Kingdom” was set ablaze earlier this week when NFL insider Aaron Wilson tweeted out that the Kansas City Chiefs were strong contenders in courting the services of free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

As mentioned in the tweet, Beckham Jr. is currently rehabbing and working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered during last season’s Super Bowl. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported that sources close to Beckham have told him that the star wide receiver is eyeing a mid-November return.

If Beckham is on a team mid-November, that’s nine months from the clean ACL tear he suffered in February. As for potential suitors, figure any playoff-contending team with a receiver need, including the Rams — who still have Beckham’s nameplate and locker up and ready.

The Bucs, Packers, Bills and Chiefs have all been discussed as possible suitors for Beckham, though how much money the wide receiver warrants on a multi-year deal could rule out some of the possibilities.

As Rapoport mentions in his article, it’s unclear what sort of deal Beckham Jr. is seeking from his next team or what his priorities will be when choosing them. One thing we do know is that he was not impressed by the Los Angeles Rams' initial off to him following the 2021 season.

This isn’t the first time the Chiefs have been linked to Beckham Jr. This past February, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach brought up the wide receiver when he was discussing possible weapons the Chiefs might add.

“It’s no different than the Rams,” began Veach. “I mean, they had a bunch of wideouts, and they had a chance to get Odell.

“Obviously, Odell has done a great job for the Rams, and it just worked for them that as soon as they signed him, they had a receiver get hurt, so now it looks like an even better move.

“I don’t think we’ll ever shy away from trying to get 1% advantage and that’s kind of how we approach things,” said Veach. “If it makes sense for us, even if it’s just a little better, we’ll pursue it, and that was the case there. Maybe it would’ve made a bigger difference than just that one percent given different roster constructions on different teams, but we’ll always pursue talent, and if it makes sense, we’ll be aggressive in that fashion.”

One former NFL star seems to be as interested in Beckham Jr’s decision as the rest of us. This week, former Dallas Cowboys star wideout Dez Bryant asked Beckham Jr. straight up” which team would he choose?

On Friday, head coach Andy Reid was asked about the possibility of signing Beckham Jr, and as expected, Reid deflected the question and declined to comment on the situation.

“I can’t get into all that,” said Reid firmly. “I mean, he’s a heck of a football player, that I can tell you. I don’t know where he is, you know, as far as his rehab goes and that whole deal.

“Brett’s always maneuvering, so he keeps his eyes open on everything. But in my position, I’m tunneled in on what I’m doing and trying to get the team ready to play with the guys we got. But I’m not going to slight him — he’s a good football player.”

There is a lot of smoke around this one, but no fire just yet, and that’s exactly how the Chiefs want it.