Odell Beckham Jr. joining the Buccaneers would be worst-case scenario for Saints

The New Orleans Saints may not have the cap space to pursue Odell Beckham Jr., but they should still care about where he lands. Pray it’s not the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Beckham Jr. cleared waivers on Tuesday and has stated he wants to take some time to decide on his next team.

He’s been linked to reports saying he wants to go to a playoff contender, and Tampa Bay certainly checks that box.

If OBJ wants to go to the Packers, fine. No issues there. Enjoy Green Bay’s COVID-19 dumpster fire.

Should he choose the Buccaneers, though, New Orleans may stand to lose more ground in the NFC South than they already have.

Financially, OBJ to the Bucs could work. Tampa Bay has $3.2 million in salary space to sign the wide receiver if they agree on a contract. Several NFL analysts have since proposed the idea of OBJ landing in Tampa Bay, highlighting the potential of an explosive QB-wide receiver relationship between him and Brady.

After all the frustration (both aggressive and passive aggressive) that OBJ has voiced toward Browns QB Baker Mayfield, it’s hard to imagine a better quarterback upgrade than the league’s passing leader, Tom Brady.

New Orleans Saints should worry about Odell Beckham Jr. potentially joining the Bucs

Ever since Brady joined the Bucs, stars near and far have flocked to Tampa Bay to play with the G.O.A.T: Gronk, Leonard Fournette, Antonio Brown, Richard Sherman.

Coming off a Super Bowl championship, the Bucs are a prime destination for any player eyeing a ring.

Tampa Bay already has a multi-pronged passing attack featuring Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and adding another talented wideout like OBJ could make the Bucs’ offense virtually invincible.

When the Saints play the Bucs again in December, that star-studded wide receiver corps would rip the Saints’ D apart. Brady won’t let New Orleans make it a close game this time around.

For all the reasons OBJ to the Bucs make sense, there’s been no reported interest from Tampa Bay so far. Given all the established wideout talent, Beckham Jr. would also struggle to command a larger target share in the Bucs’ offense than what he received in Cleveland.

And given Beckham Jr.’s, er, overly inflated ego, he’ll likely want to be the headliner of a team’s wide receiver corps, not merely a supporting cast member.

Fingers crossed that Beckham Jr.’s pride will get the better of him, and he’ll pick a playoff contender that’s a little needier in the receiving department.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. The New Orleans Saints should be ready for anything, including a cataclysmic OBJ move to the Bucs. It could happen.