Sean Payton says the Saints were ‘close’ to signing Odell Beckham Jr.
The buzz all last week revolved around Odell Beckham Jr. and where he’d take his talents after things didn’t work out between him and the Browns. Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints were in the mix for Beckham due to his ties to the state of Louisiana and the fact that he’d get plenty of targets in a Saints uniform.
Payton appeared on the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday morning and was asked by DP and the Danettes just how close the Saints were to getting Beckham in one of their uniforms.
Andrew Perloff, one of the Danettes, provided Payton’s response below in a tweet.
"I would say close. The question was all along if L.A. had an opportunity that's where he was going to go. I would say [Los Angeles wasn't involved] until mid-way through the process." - Sean Payton on how close Saints were to signing Odell Beckham on @dpshow
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) November 18, 2021
It’s interesting because it didn’t feel like the Rams were in the mix until it was reported that he was signing there yet Payton even says they were the favorite all along. Ian Rapoport saw Perloff’s tweet and noted that the Rams not retaining Josh Reynolds after the Titans let him go (Reynolds was with LA before he signed with Tennessee this offseason) was the icing on the cake for OBJ going to Los Angeles.
Amazingly, once the #Rams didn’t successful claim WR Josh Reynolds… https://t.co/OPla91FvlD
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 18, 2021
Sean Payton says Saints were close to getting Odell Beckham Jr.
There’s no doubt that OBJ would have helped this offense.
Have you seen these wide receivers? They’re not good. Beckham could have stepped into this offense and been the No. 1 target right from the start.
At the same time, however, the Saints not having a big name at quarterback likely hurt their stock. They’re also not a true Super Bowl contender as a result of Jameis Winston going down and the rest of the offense being pretty lackluster (minus Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram).
For what it’s worth, Beckham suited up for the Rams this past Monday and had two catches for 18 yards in a losing effort by LA. Who knows if he’d have been the difference-maker for New Orleans in their loss to Tennessee but considering the lack of weapons for the Saints offense, it’s hard not to think he’d have made some sort of positive impact.
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The Saints only have themselves to blame for their wide receiver situation and hopefully, they’re smarter about the position this offseason.