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NFL

What are the priorities that Odell Beckham Jr has when considering his options?

After a multi-day visit to Dallas and a whirlwind tour of the Giants and Bills facilities, Odell Beckham Jr heads home to Arizona to weigh his options

After a multi-day visit to Dallas and a whirlwind tour of the Giants and Bills facilities, Odell Beckham Jr heads home to Arizona to weigh his options
Jerome MironUSA TODAY Sports

There is no doubt that Odell Beckham Jr is one of the NFL’s hottest properties. The eighth-year superstar has three Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl ring to his name. Setting the record for being the fastest player in NFL history to reach both 200 career receptions and 4,000 career receiving yards, it would seem as if any team would snap him up in a heartbeat.

Which is why the length of time that it has taken for Beckham to find a new home somewhat surprising.

Joining the LA Rams halfway through the season last year, OBJ became a potent addition to their phenomenal passing attack, but the Super Bowl game was a bittersweet moment for the former LSU standout.

The reason that he left Cleveland was because he wanted to play on a team that had a chance to make it to the Super Bowl, so being with the Rams fulfilled his dream. But after scoring the first touchdown of the game, he left in the second quarter with a knee injury that turned out to be devastating.

Having torn his ACL, Beckham underwent surgery and has left potential suitors wondering if he is ready to come back to the NFL. As a free agent now with an uncertain future, OBJ finds himself in an awkward spot.

Beckham toured the Giants and Bills facilities over the weekend before heading to Dallas for a couple of days to meet with the Cowboys, and while owner Jerry Jones said that he was “not confident at all” about signing Beckham until after he sees a workout, the view from the other side would seem to be warmer.

When interviewed during halftime of a Dallas Mavericks game where he was a guest of Jerry Jones, Odell told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon that “it’s a good possibility” that he will sign with Dallas.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Beckham has headed back to his Arizona home to “discuss his options with family and decide what his next steps will be.”

The 30-year-old has been known to prioritise winning organizations in past dealings, particularly when he signed with the Rams, so you would expect that he would set a high premium on the Cowboys’ chances either in this season or next to get to the Super Bowl.

Now, however, there will be another priority, which may even come top for Beckham, and that is his son Zydn and partner and Texas native Lauren Wood. Clearly not a fan of moving his family to Los Angeles, one would think that the opportunities that Dallas provide for family life, together with the proximity of Dallas to Beckham’s home town of Baton Rouge would come into play.

With regional teams New Orleans and Houston in no shape to make the playoffs in perhaps the next five years, the Cowboys are the only sensible option for keeping his family in the area. He may be taking his time, but for Odell Beckham Jr. and his family, Dallas makes the most sense of any team in the NFL.