It is almost December, and the Odell Beckham Jr. sweepstakes continues to play out.
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants are the two teams Beckham is being linked to most extensively in media speculation. He has history with the Giants, who drafted him in 2014 and infamously traded him in March of 2019.
In between, Beckham became a star in New York, and his former teammate Sterling Shepard thinks that deep down, the three-time Pro Bowler wants to be back in blue.
“I talk to him every day, but we don’t talk about [his decision] too much,” Shepard said, via the New York Daily News. “Obviously he knows that we want him here. He would love to be here. But everything has to play out for that to happen. There’s a whole bunch of intangibles that have to play out for him to be here. And I understand that. This is a business, and his business has gotta be right for him to do it.”
That business that Shepard is referring to involves multiple factors. One, how much a team is willing to pay Beckham, and if it will be enough to entice him to sign.
The second factor is winning. Beckham got his Super Bowl ring last year, but still might prefer to sign with a team that is closer to contending than the Giants are.
New York is a surprising 7-3, but has its toughest part of the schedule coming up and isn’t regarded as a Super Bowl-caliber team. Dallas, meanwhile, is also 7-3, but has a roster more equipped to do damage in the postseason.
Beckham is reportedly slated to visit both teams after the holiday.