Odell Beckham Jr. preferred to sign with other NFC team?

Odell Beckham Jr. agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, but they may not have been his first choice. Had all things been equal, Beckham might have ended up catching passes from Aaron Rodgers for the remainder of the season.

According to ESPN’s Jordan Schultz, Beckham would have preferred to sign with the Green Bay Packers over the Rams. But Beckham reportedly did not feel that the Packers were “all-in” on him. Green Bay reportedly offered him no more than a veteran minimum contract.

#Packers foolishly only offered Odell Beckham the vet minimum. #Rams blew that out of the water with a deal loaded in incentives – but also with more guaranteed money – totaling $4.25M. It’s a win-win and a monster move for an already stacked offense. https://t.co/szY3f6Yffq

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 12, 2021

If OverTheCap.com’s latest numbers are accurate, the Packers have more than $4 million in salary cap space. That means they could have afforded to offer Beckham more than the veteran minimum, especially if they structured his contract similarly to the way the Rams did. Beckham’s contract with L.A. has several incentives. If he hits those, they would count toward the salary cap in 2022.

The #Rams gave WR Odell Beckham Jr a 1-year deal worth up to $4.25M, source said.
Details:
— $500K signing bonus
— $750K for the rest of the season
— Another $3M available in team-based incentives for how they finish the regular season and the postseason.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 12, 2021

The Packers are projected to be roughly $40 million over the salary cap next season, so perhaps they took that into consideration. Or, maybe they simply didn’t feel Beckham was worth the money given all his recent injuries and lack of production with the Cleveland Browns.

In any event, you can understand why Beckham felt more wanted by the Rams. Some of their star players recruited him heavily, and Sean McVay almost certainly sold him on the idea of an offense that plans to keep airing it out. As long as he’s comfortable not being the first or even second option in the passing game, Beckham should have plenty of opportunities to thrive with L.A.

Photo: Oct 21, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) warms up before the game between the Browns and the Denver Broncos at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports