Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has flirted with the idea of free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. joining his team.
For the last several weeks of the 2022 NFL season, the Cowboys courted Beckham, and he eventually visited the team. Beckham ultimately did not sign with Dallas or any other team last season.
The three-time Pro Bowler continues to recover from an ACL injury he suffered during the 2022 Super Bowl.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before a game against the Minnesota Vikings Nov. 20, 2022, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. (Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Beckham held a private workout in Arizona Friday and reportedly grabbed the attention of several teams.
According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, the Panthers, Giants, Patriots, Rams, Cardinals, 49ers, Bills, Chiefs, Vikings, Browns and Ravens were represented at the workout.
The Cowboys were notably absent.
Jones seems more interested in learning more about Beckham’s mother, Heather Van Norman.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. of the Los Angeles Rams runs off the field after defeating the Baltimore Ravens at M and T Bank Stadium Jan. 2, 2022, in Baltimore. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
“I did have a very impressive conversation with the most important one in this whole proposition, that’s his mother,” Jones told Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It was really easy for me to see where Odell [Beckham] got a lot of his pluses. She was very impressive. You can see where he gets a lot of the things he has.”
The Cowboys could certainly use another wide receiver next season. But, it remains unclear whether Dallas is serious about signing Beckham. In December, Jones said it did not make sense to sign Beckham at the time, but he did leave the door open for the future.
“It’s not realistic to think about having him in a meaningful way for the playoffs. Now, that’s not dismissing the future,” Jones said via The Athletic.
Beckham last played for the Rams in 2021 before he landed awkwardly during the 2022 Super Bowl. He caught three passes for 52 yards and a touchdown in the game before the injury.
In his eight regular season games in Los Angeles during the 2021-22 season, Beckham had 27 catches for 305 yards and five touchdowns.
Odell Beckham Jr. of the Los Angeles Rams with the Vince Lombardi Trophy during a game between the Rams and the Buffalo Bills Sept. 8, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Icon Sportswire)
Beckham has had an up-and-down NFL career since the Giants selected him in the first round of the 2014 draft.
He turned heads with a memorable one-handed catch against the Cowboys during his rookie year and had a productive first three seasons in the league. In March 2019, the Giants traded the star wide receiver to the Browns in exchange for two draft picks and safety Jabrill Peppers.
Beckham had a turbulent tenure in Cleveland, prompting the team to release him during the 2021 season. He then signed with Los Angeles. He caught 44 passes for 537 yards and five touchdowns through 14 games with the Browns and the Rams.
Beckham won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2014 and had at least 1,300 receiving yards in each of his first three years in the league.