Odell Beckham Jr. best fits: Ranking NFL teams that should sign him

Most veteran NFL free agents must resort to practice-squad jobs to stay in the league.

And then there's wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., whose high-wattage star outshines street free-agent applications. Beckham, who tore his left ACL playing for the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI in February and didn't sign with a team in the offseason, apparently can visit a team without his name appearing on the league's transaction report. He can saunter the sidelines of SoFi Stadium and the Superdome to glad-hand other star players.

And when he suits up, he can be the best player on the field. Just watch back the tape of his touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in his last game.

Only 29 years old, Beckham's career has had it all -- a historic first three years of production with the New York Giants, followed by major endorsements and jersey sales; multiple injuries hampering his production; a curious trade to the Cleveland Browns, where a lack of cohesion with quarterback Baker Mayfield prompted Beckham's forced release last November; and a landing spot in Los Angeles, where he served as a catalyst to a title-winning team. As he recovers from his second ACL injury -- the first happened in October 2020 -- teams are curious about where he ends up.

Beckham showed his potential in 12 games with the Rams but hasn't produced a 1,100-yard or 80-catch season since 2016. It's unclear when he'll be fully healthy. Some of the team execs and coaches we've talked to believe he'll be ready to sign sometime in mid-November. They also wonder whether that timeline is close enough to the end of the regular season that he might sit out the year to ensure complete health in 2023.

"Wherever he goes will most likely be with a top quarterback," an AFC executive said. "He has that luxury, and why waste time with anything else?"

Most teams with great passers have a few million dollars to spare, or at least can create cap space this year. That begs the question, though: What type of contract will Beckham seek? He could do a one-year deal with high incentives to set the stage for free agency re-up next March, or he could sign a two-year deal with high earning power in 2023, plus a decent signing bonus. Teams most likely want to see him prove he's back before committing, however.

To gauge Beckham's market in full scope, we ranked the top fits for his services, adding context on how likely each team is to add him and how he'd mesh in the offense:

1. Los Angeles Rams

Why he fits: Beckham had 48 receptions with seven touchdowns after signing with L.A. last season, including nine catches for 113 yards in the NFC title game. We know the system fit works here with Sean McVay, too. The Rams coach will create schemed concepts to target the interior of the field with Beckham, adding isolation matchups outside of the numbers.

Free agent signing Allen Robinson has struggled to gain traction for the Rams, and Van Jefferson is on injured reserve (knee). Adding Beckham would boost this pass game, giving quarterback Matthew Stafford a proven and productive target opposite Cooper Kupp. -- Matt Bowen

Why the Rams make sense: Most execs I've spoken to believe the Rams are the favorite and make the most sense. The team has maintained a good relationship with Beckham and has intimate knowledge of his injury file. His star power plays in Los Angeles, and he developed a quick on-field rapport with Stafford.

"It makes the most sense -- if you're coming off an injury, why start over with a new offense?" an NFC personnel director said.

The Rams are in decent shape cap-wise, with $4.8 million in space as of Week 5, according to ESPN's Roster Management System. They can always create more, via contract restructure. Last month, Los Angeles earned $3.8 of additional space by converting most of Tyler Higbee's base salary into a signing bonus and adding voidable years to his deal. -- Jeremy Fowler

2. Green Bay Packers

Why he fits: Aaron Rodgers is still the league's best at identifying and throwing one-on-ones. Could you see Beckham running slot fades here? All day. He's a fit for the pass-game structure in Green Bay, creating route separation on in-breakers or finding zone windows on the defined concepts in Matt LaFleur's offense.

The addition of Beckham could slow the development of rookies Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson -- they've combined for 29 catches for 265 yards so far -- but there's no question he would elevate the wide receiver room for one of the NFC's contenders. Beckham knows how to get first downs, and Green Bay ranks 16th in the league in first-down catches by wideouts after being fourth a year ago. -- Bowen

Why the Packers make sense: League evaluators see the on-field fit and understand the Packers' receiver need, but skepticism remains based on Green Bay's setup.

"They seem to do the opposite of what Aaron Rodgers wants," an NFC exec said. The Packers have used second-, third- and fourth-round picks on wide receivers since 2021 and need to see what they have.

Green Bay made an offer to Beckham last November. One problem: It offered the veterans minimum of $660,000, and the Rams gave him $4.25 million. The Packers, who have $6.1 million in cap space, could offer more than that this year. -- Fowler

3. Kansas City Chiefs

Why he fits: The Chiefs made offseason moves to recreate Tyreek Hill's production, adding the vertical-stretch ability of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and slot presence of JuJu Smith-Schuster. That complements the pass-catching traits of tight end Travis Kelce, who is the No. 1 option for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Andy Reid's system in Kansas City is a heavily schemed pass game that manipulates both man and zone coverage. Beckham could be set up on the deep overs and catch-and-run balls, taking quick passes to the house. Beckham could quickly become Mahomes' top perimeter target. -- Bowen

Why the Chiefs make sense: The feeling leaguewide is the Chiefs would welcome one more outside threat, but money is an issue. They traded Tyreek Hill to save salary and replaced him with Smith-Schuster and Valdes-Scantling, who combine for a reasonable $7.77 million cap hit in 2022. Kansas City sits on $1.36 million in cap space and traditionally doesn't restructure contracts as frequently as other teams. That means Mahomes' $35.8 million cap number likely will go untouched.

All of this suggests Kansas City probably won't be wowing Beckham with an offer. But the on-field fit would be glorious, and the Chiefs were involved with Beckham last November. -- Fowler

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Why he fits: You can see Beckham as a target for quarterback Tom Brady in the Tampa offense, right? The speed outs, crossers, high-low concepts, deep comebacks. Don't forget the boundary fade balls.

While we know Mike Evans is the No. 1 target for Brady, the Bucs have been banged up at wide receiver this season, including Chris Godwin, who tore his ACL last December, slowly making his way back. Plus, they're not getting much from tight ends, which means they need help over the middle of the field. -- Bowen

Why the Bucs make sense: The Bucs are a threat for any veteran playmaker as long as Brady is still playing. They gave Julio Jones $6 million in guarantees this offseason despite boasting impressive receiver depth -- of which early-season injuries are proving there's never enough. Godwin, Jones and Russell Gage have been fixtures on the injury report, while Evans missed Week 3 via suspension.

Brady long has expressed an affinity for Beckham's game. The Bucs have $5.2 million in cap space, and if they need more, restructuring left tackle Donovan Smith's $18.4 million cap number could be an option. -- Fowler

5. New Orleans Saints

Why he fits: The Saints might have a developing star in rookie first-round wideout Chris Olave. With the injury concerns about star Michael Thomas, though, they could get in the mix for Beckham. We know quarterback Jameis Winston -- when healthy -- is an aggressive thrower who will challenge second- and third-level windows. Beckham could be used as an inside/outside target in this offense. -- Bowen

Why the Saints make sense: Let's start with this: Money is never really a major issue for New Orleans. Team cap guru Khai Harley works wonders each year despite several big-money deals on New Orleans' books. As it stands, the Saints have around $2.5 million in cap space.

This would be a chance for Beckham to return to his high school and college football roots in the Bayou and reunite with close friend Jarvis Landry. Most teams listed here have elite quarterbacks, however, and even though Winston has done some good things, Beckham might opt for more of a sure thing with targets and production. -- Fowler

6. Buffalo Bills

Why he fits: A healthy Gabe Davis boosts the pass-game profile of the Bills when playing opposite of Stefon Diggs. Isaiah McKenzie is a motion/movement player in the offense. And rookie Khalil Shakir flashed in the Week 5 win over the Steelers.

There's solid depth here, but in Ken Dorsey's system, the pass game is the priority, and Beckham would fit as an iso/intermediate target who can get loose on crossers for quarterback Josh Allen. -- Bowen

Why the Bills make sense: This possibility fascinates on many levels: Buffalo's championship window, Beckham's connection to close friend Von Miller and the potential need for one more top-shelf performer on the offense. The Bills are tight on cap space ($3.5 million) and likely would need to do an incentive-heavy contract.

After asking around, I don't get the sense the Bills are clamoring for this to happen. They value the chemistry between Allen and his current crop of receivers, and they don't want to disrupt that. Even still, it would be surprising if general manager Brandon Beane didn't look into a pairing. -- Fowler

Three wild-card teams to watch

San Francisco 49ers

Why he fits: The 49ers are a wild card because of the limited pass-game volume and two catch-and-run players already on the roster (Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk).

In a heavily defined throwing offense, however, coach Kyle Shanahan could scheme Beckham on play-action targets, and OBJ's route quickness would give quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo a stellar third-down target. -- Bowen

Why the 49ers make sense: As one AFC scout pointed out to me, this fit depends on how the 49ers really feel about Aiyuk. Is he the explosive No. 2 receiver San Francisco needs? Or is he still an enigma?

"He's a good player, but I'm not sure he'll ever fully realize his potential," the scout said.

Rumors persisted a few years ago about Beckham wanting to wear the gold and scarlet. And because the 49ers decided to wait to pay Nick Bosa, they should have more cash available, sitting on a reasonable $6.6 million in cap space. -- Fowler

New England Patriots

Why he fits: The return of rookie wide receiver Tyquan Thornton -- he hasn't played in the regular season after a preseason collarbone injury -- will add some much-needed speed to the Patriots' wide receiver group. I still like Beckham as a long shot in New England because of the route tree with quarterback Mac Jones.

When back healthy, Jones is a timing thrower who can deliver the ball with anticipation. That means more crossers, overs and in-breakers, which would be a fit for Beckham. And it would give the Patriots more juice on offense. -- Bowen

Why the Patriots make sense: New England is worth watching because I'm told it heavily evaluated Beckham's market early in free agency in March. Like most teams, it knew Beckham's recovery would take a while, so talks never went anywhere.

After much preseason debate about the direction of the Patriots' offense under coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, it has averaged 5.8 yards per play this season, which ranks 10th in the league -- and that's with backup quarterbacks the past two games. Plus, the defense has found its footing.

Wideout DeVante Parker, acquired in the offseason as a deep-threat option, has eight catches on the season. Maybe coach Bill Belichick believes he's a player away and will pay the premium required to outbid others for Beckham. New England has $4.4 million in cap space, which should be enough to make something work. -- Fowler

Tennessee Titans

Why he fits: This might be a stretch to pair Beckham with the Titans given their run-heavy approach with tailback Derrick Henry. But he'd help this offense, running underneath slants, dig routes off play-action and verticals out of the slot. Rookie first-round pick Treylon Burks is on injured reserve (foot) and should be back in a few weeks, but Beckham could help in the stretch run. -- Bowen

Why the Titans make sense: They could use a vertical threat on the outside after trading away A.J. Brown in the offseason. This is a team that can grind out wins without a flashy passing game, however.

Tennessee has traded for wide receivers the past two offseasons, and both wideouts have had injury issues. Julio Jones came over in 2021, then missed seven games and produced 434 yards and one touchdown. He was released after the season. In March 2022, the Titans dealt for Robert Woods, who has 17 catches in five games this season. The team has a modest $3.7 million in cap space. -- Fowler