Tom Brady had a large influence on building the Buccaneers roster this season. Brady brought in AB, Fournette, and Gronk to win his seventh Super Bowl.
Advertisement
However, it doesn’t look like the GOAT is done. Odell Beckham Jr. is coming off a severe ACL injury, and was having his worst statistical year up to that point.
However, if there’s anyone who can get the most out of a player, it’s Brady. Antonio Brown looked like he was out of the league, and yet there he was catching a touchdown in his first ever Super Bowl win. Gronk had retired. Ultimately, the prospect of playing alongside Brady brought him back to the game.
He went on to catch two touchdowns in the Super Bowl. And then there was Leonard Fournette, cut from the Jacksonville Jaguars of all teams. However, his impressive postseason run earned him the moniker “Playoff Lenny” and eventually “Super Bowl Lenny.”
The point here is that, if Brady wants someone on his roster, there’s a good chance he’s going to get that player there. There are issues with bringing in OBJ, but with Brady at the helm, the Bucs front office might just be able to pull a few strings.
Also read: NFL Draft Rules 2021: How Many Rounds Are There In The NFL Draft?
Odell Beckham Jr., His Contract, And the Bucs’ Free Agency Situation
To say the Buccaneers have a BIG offseason ahead of them would be understating it. Several members of their championship core are set to hit the free agency market, and there’s no guarantee the Bucs will be able to sign all of them.
Chris Godwin, Lavonte David, Shaquil Barrett, Gronk, Fournette, AB, Ndamukong Suh, and kicker Ryan Succop are all very capable of walking away this offseason. Of course, the Bucs’ intention will be to retain as many of these players as possible. You’d have to imagine Shaq Barrett, Godwin, and Gronk are top priorities.
Gronk and AB will be easy to keep around, but the rest of that group will certainly demand their money, making things difficult. Here’s where OBJ comes into play. Barrett is likely the biggest name that the Bucs will look to lock up, and thus Godwin becomes a little expendable as players like Scotty Miller, Tyler Johnson, and AB could all demand more targets.
Adding OBJ would bring that balance back, however. Yes, OBJ didn’t have the greatest year of his career and he did get injured. But, he’s still OBJ, and that means he’s a playmaker. The Bucs are projected to have almost $12 million in salary cap, but Beckham still has three years and almost $46 million left on his contract.
The Bucs would have to engineer some type of trade and then restructure OBJ’s contract to make it work, but it is a possibility if Godwin leaves this year.
How Would Odell Beckham Jr. Fit With Tom Brady & The Bucs?
If Brady wants someone on his team, it’s likely because he thinks he’ll make a perfect addition to the squad. Admittedly, Beckham isn’t the same player Chris Godwin is in terms of receiving and blocking, but he’s still a solid wide receiver.
Beckham opens up the playbook in ways Godwin doesn’t with his rushing ability, and the occasional flair for throwing trick passes:
His versatility is his biggest strength. And well, let’s not forget that Beckham was once a stud of a wide receiver. His receiving totals across his first few years in the league are record setting, and there’s a chance that a change in scenery, and mentorship from the game’s greatest quarterback could revitalize his career.
There’s a real chance here to develop something special, and we’ve seen before how this story ends. If Tom Brady wants someone, he gets that person.
The Buccaneers won’t have as easy a time as making this happen, but if they can get it done, there’s a good chance to build another stacked receiving core.
Additionally, the Buccaneers and Brady are close to reworking his contract so that Brady carries a lower cap hit than he’s projected to at the moment. Of course, the GOAT has a reputation of taking hometown discounts with the Pats so they could have more money to spend elsewhere on the roster. Brady to Beckham next season anyone?
Also read: Jalen Ramsey Believes He Was the Most Consistent CB in 2020
