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They weren’t going anywhere near that . . .
Odell Beckham’s reps seemed to be very media-friendly, and this can create a lot of confusion for the public.
The agency just drops crumbs all over the place.
In late March, an ESPN reporter said the Jets are “the most likely landing spot” for Beckham.
Why? His people leaked he was looking for $15 million for this season. The Jets were never going there, so why would they be the most likely landing spot?
Was the agency trying to put pressure on the Jets by saying “they were the most likely landing spot?” Because if you put that out there, and then the team doesn’t get the player, it could make the team look bad to some of their fans.
Beckham got the $15 million guaranteed he was looking for from the Baltimore Ravens. Beckham’s base salary will be $1,165,000 and he got a $13,835,000 signing bonus. Last time I checked, that adds up to $15 million.
Do you really think Joe Douglas, with his pragmatic contact history, was going to a 30-year-old player, coming off the second ACL tear in his right knee, that kind of money?
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said the Jets made a “very competitive” contract offer to Beckham before he signed with Baltimore
Fowler quoted a source saying Beckham “probably should’ve been a Jet” based on how close the two sides were to an agreement.
I’m sorry, but with all due respect to Fowler, I’m not buying that they were that close.
I just don’t buy that Joe Douglas was going anywhere near that $15 million figure for Beckham, especially with the Jets cap issues, with Aaron Rodgers’ monster deal likely on the way, and Quinnen Williams looking for a huge deal.
And based on a report by VSIN’s Mike Lombardi, the Jets didn’t offer Beckham, anywhere near what the Ravens did.
VSIN’s Mike Lombardi said on Sunday – “The Jets, according to sources I talked to, the Jets were nowhere near that (Ravens) deal.”
Lombardi also said he talked to a team that was interested in Beckham at a league-minimum deal.
While a league minimum deal might be a little extreme in terms of underpaying Beckham, you could make the argument that the Ravens went to the other extreme overpaying him.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said at Odell Beckham’s introductory presser “We went into it knowing we were the underdogs. Sometimes the underdog wins.”
I respect DeCosta, but I don’t get that quote. With their $15 million offer who were they the underdog to?
Covering Beckham news can give you a headache due to the shear volume of reports about the players.
There are some powerful player agents who only will deal with guys like Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, but there there are other agents that will pick up the phone for many.
Beckham’s reps are clearly very giving to many.
And there is so much pressure on NFL insiders to deliver the goods, they love agencies that are chatty and give them stuff.
But this idea that Beckham was close to being a Jets, seems like a reach.
We have been watching Douglas operate now for close to four years as Jets GM, do you really think that he was going to give the off-injured Beckham anywhere near the kind of money the Ravens did?
No freakin way.
April 17, 2023
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