The Packers pursued Odell Beckham Jr. At one point, he said that he was choosing between the Packers and the Rams.
On Sunday, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was asked about Beckham’s decision, and the team’s effort to sign him.
“I think that we are obviously limited with our salary cap situation,” Rodgers said. “I’m not sure what he ended up signing for. I’ve been friends with Odell for a long time. And have so much for his talent and his ability. And, you know, I wish him the absolute best in L.A. I think there was a lot of conversations about bringing him in. And for whatever reason, it just wasn’t the right fit. But I feel good about the fact that we were in the mix, that there was conversations, and in the end I guess it just wasn’t the right fit.”
Beckham ultimately got $1.25 million for half of the season, which works out to $2.5 million in full-season pay. He can make another $3 million based on postseason success. Via ESPN.com, he gets $500,000 for a wild-card win (if he’s active for the game) or a first-round bye, another $750,000 for a divisional round win (if he’s active for the game), another $750,000 if the Rams win the NFC Championship (if he’s active for the game), another $500,000 if he’s on the Super Bowl roster, and another $500,000 if they win the Super Bowl.
Could the Packers have matched that? If they truly wanted to do it, yes. Some think the Packers simply made Beckham an offer that they knew he wouldn’t accept. The real question is whether Beckham wanted the Packers or the Rams. He seemed to want to play in L.A., even though he possibly would have instantly become the No. 2 option in a Green Bay passing game led by one of the great quarterbacks of all-time. More importantly, he seemed to want to be actively pursued and recruited and “loved” by his next team.
Regardless, Rodgers seems to be happy that the Packers tried to sign Beckham. If, of course, he’s telling the truth. But why would anyone think he may not be?