10 months ago, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. tore his ACL on the biggest stage, playing in the Super Bowl for the Los Angeles Rams. Now, he’s ready to be cleared for action. Should the Chicago Bears take a shot in the dark?
Look, we know that the 30-year-old Beckham is likely looking to sign with a competitive team, and that’s not the Bears.
However, the Bears offense is suddenly an attractive place to play. Justin Fields has taken a leap forward and has the league buzzing. Just last week, Fields broke the single-game NFL rushing record held by Michael Vick. To say it’s not at least a tantalizing thought would be a lie.
But, Beckham is likely going to be looking at teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, or maybe even the San Francisco 49ers — the Bears don’t stand a chance.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles should at least make Odell Beckham Jr. an offer which causes him to look twice.
Look, the NFC stinks. The Bears have some winnable games remaining on their schedule, including two against the Detroit Lions starting this weekend. If Beckham were to be cleared, come in and learn the offense, he could help the Bears push for a wildcard berth.
Would that be enough to satisfy Beckham? Not likely.
However, if he becomes a huge factor in this offense (and he would), then Beckham essentially proves he is still worth one more huge contract — and, guess who has roughly $120 million to work with in cap space next year?
The Chicago Bears.
Let’s say Beckham was to get an irrefutable offer from Poles — we’re talking a chunk of guaranteed money. If he takes advantage of that short-term deal and is able to hang his hat on helping to continue develop Fields and transform an offense like Chicago, Beckham’s value next offseason skyrockets as a free agent.
Maybe, just maybe, the Bears are able to lock him down long-term next spring. It is the longest of long shots, sure, but if Poles can come out and at least say that he tried, it would be saying a heck of a lot to the fans about what type of general manager he is.
If Poles can say he’s done everything he can to try and improve this team going forward, fans will be able to put a lot more faith into Poles’ plan down the line.
