The Bucs have been rumored to be looking to build a superteam this offseason, given all the uncertainty heading into free agency caused by the pandemic, and adding a superstar receiver could be in the team’s future plans.
Odell Beckham Jr. missed the majority of last season with a torn ACL, but the Browns offense actually functioned better without him on the field. Baker Mayfield focused on OBJ far more often than he probably should have — locking in on the superstar receiver as his first read, then being too late to go elsewhere with the football. The run game also blossomed, as the Browns committed to a more run-heavy scheme without OBJ on the field.
It’s not all that uncommon for a superstar receiver to be a distraction, given the high volume of targets they often command. But the Browns’ offense isn’t really built to accommodate that need, and maybe OBJ would be better off elsewhere.
If one were to ask Tom Brady, that landing spot would apparently be in Tampa Bay. A report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter states that Brady “might want” Beckham to join the Bucs. Schefter did add, though, that it would be “challenging to fit a wide receiver in at that number on top of everything else they’re trying to get done there.”
Brady obviously wants more dynamic receivers at his disposal, especially with Chris Godwin possibly departing in free agency, but trading for OBJ won’t come cheap, and the Bucs may not want to leverage their future to win (again) today.
