Ram Digest

Aaron Rodgers Shares Packers' Pursuit of Odell Beckham Jr. Prior to Him Choosing Rams

Aaron Rodgers was in talks with Odell Beckham Jr. about joining the Packers before the Rams swooped in and signed him.

Nicholas Cothrel

The Green Bay Packers appeared to be the clear front runner to land Odell Beckham Jr. after clearing waivers and becoming a free agent. However, a swift turn of events prompted Beckham to join the Rams and come to Los Angeles, a place he knows well.

Beckham, who lives and trains in L.A. each offseason, received a strong push by players and the Rams' staff. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey and pass rusher Von Miller both know Beckham personally as they recruited him behind the scenes in a quiet manner, while general manager Les Snead did the adequate work to make the signing possible under the team's current salary cap.

On Tuesday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers made his weekly appearance, talking in great length about Beckham and his decision to join the Rams.

Rodgers confirms that he and Beckham already knew each other and spoke about the possibility of signing with Green Bay upon ultimately deciding the Rams were his best choice.

“We’ve been friends for a long time and kept in touch and met him at some events and, you know, sent encouraging messages during the seasons over the years,” Rodgers said. “When he became free, there was definitely conversations. And I was, you know, in the conversation with him directly. And then, obviously, I have been friends with him. So I didn’t need to get put on the phone by anybody else. I could just get a hold of him directly."

Rodgers has been asking the Packers to be more aggressive in bringing aboard highly-touted players and he acknowledges that he's glad Green Bay did that in their pursuit of Beckham.

“There were conversations with the organization as well and I appreciated the fact that we were in the mix," Rodgers said. "It just comes down to fit, ultimately, and what the best fit is for him. We had some real good, honest conversations. I’m excited for him in L.A. I thought that there was definitely some things that lined up, you know, him coming to Green Bay. But ultimately, he took time to decide where he wanted to be and it turned out to be L.A.”

Beckham made his Rams debut last night against the 49ers, playing in a limited role. While he started the game, Beckham saw just 15 snaps, seeing three targets and logging two receptions for 18 yards.

“I wouldn’t judge one performance,” Rodgers said. “He obviously had some plays that he felt good about, but he wasn’t playing, you know, most of the fourth quarter when they were in no-huddle stuff. So obviously, he has some ways to go learning the offense. It's a similar offense that we run. It's not one that you can really jump in at certain positions and know it right away.”

After being in talks about joining forces with Rodgers as late as last week, Beckham and the Rams will turn around and face the Packers in Week 12 following their bye week.

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Nick Cothrel is the Publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick and Ram Digest on Twitter @NickCothrel & @RamDigestSI for more Rams coverage.

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Nicholas Cothrel
NICHOLAS COTHREL

Nick Cothrel covers the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated.

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