NFL Insider: Kansas City Chiefs Were 'Appealing to Odell Beckham' Before OBJ Signed with Miami Dolphins

An ESPN NFL insider has reported that the Kansas City Chiefs were appealing to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. before OBJ signed a deal with the Miami Dolphins.

Dec 25, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3). / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Even after signing Marquise "Hollywood" Brown in free agency and drafting Xavier Worthy in the first round of the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs appear to remain interested in adding another weapon at wide receiver. As KC reportedly plans for a lengthy suspension for Rashee Rice, an NFL insider has noted that the Chiefs were "appealing to" free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. before he signed with the Miami Dolphins on Friday.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN detailed the process for Beckham landing in Miami on NFL Live, naming the Chiefs as a previously interested party.

"Well, Miami has been talking to Odell Beckham for weeks now," Fowler said. "They've been trying to secure this deal, incentive package helped it get over the top here this week, but I was told that Odell is really intrigued by the chance to produce with Mike McDaniel. He believes that that head coach will get him the ball coming off of the Baltimore year, less than 600 yards, he still has a lot to prove. And talking to people around the league, they believe that if Beckham would embrace being an inside receiver, like a slot receiver type, he could make a killing in this offense. I was told Kansas City, that was appealing to Beckham in the process, Buffalo a little bit as well, but Miami sold him, they were the most persistent throughout this process to get it done."

Fowler expanded on Beckham's process and the Chiefs' interest during an appearance on SportsCenter, as quoted by Bleacher Report:

"Odell Beckham is betting big on Mike McDaniel unlocking him," Fowler said, according to B/R. "He wants to produce, and he still wants to be a prime target. He feels like the Dolphins can help him get there. Now, they had an upside package of a little over $8 million, so they came to a sweet spot there in the negotiation. There were some other teams in the mix. I was told Kansas City was appealing to Odell Beckham, Buffalo as well. But in the end, he believes this offense can still help him prove something. This is a player who put up less than 600 yards last year in Baltimore; probably didn't go the way he wanted. So, he's going to go be the third option, of course, behind Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, but he feels like there's enough footballs to go around."

Ari Meirov reported that Beckham's contract is a one-year deal worth $3 million that can get up to $8.25 million with incentives.

What does the Chiefs' interest in Odell Beckham Jr. mean?

With Rice's likely suspension coinciding with Brown's first year with the Chiefs, Worthy's first year in the NFL and Travis Kelce's age-35 season, the Chiefs are wise to look into other pass-catching options. The team also has more salary cap space than usual around this time of the year, which could be used on a veteran wide receiver target, though the list of available WRs continues to dwindle.

D.J. Chark has signed with the Los Angeles Chargers and Tyler Boyd has been connected to the Tennessee Titans. Zay Jones, Michael Thomas and former Chief Marquez Valdes-Scantling are still available. Beckham would have been the most exciting potential addition out of that group, but the Chiefs should still be searching for one more contributor to keep them from having to rely on players like Justin Watson, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore or Justyn Ross to take on major roles in 2024.

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