NFL legend Michael Irvin has claimed star free agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will sign with either the iconic Dallas Cowboys or the San Francisco 49ers for the remainder of the 2022 season.
The 30-year-old is the top free agent available and the Cowboys are firmly in the mix for his signature. No visits with Beckham have been scheduled and the team is currently receiving updates on his recovery from a knee injury.
Back in February when he was a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Beckham was well on his way to being MVP of the Super Bowl when he tore his ACL during the Rams’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The original hope was for the charismatic receiver to find a team in mid-November, but reports are now suggesting he will return to full health and sign with a franchise by December.
Several teams have expressed interest in the 30-year-old, including the Buffalo Bills, the Rams and his former team, the New York Giants. Other suitors include the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Cowboys are heavily interested in securing the services of Beckham - and Irvin, who won three Super Bowl titles during a 12-year career spent fully in Dallas, believes his choice is down to just two franchises. Speaking on 95.7 The Game’s ‘Damon & Ratto’ on Thursday, Irvin said: “The truth of the matter is Odell wants to play for a real contender, there's no question.
“San Francisco is a contender, Dallas is a contender, Philadelphia is a contender, but he's probably not interested because they're pretty set. So it comes down to Dallas and San Francisco, and I think either one of those two teams would make him happy.
“To be honest, I know Odell and I talked to him when he was in New York and Cleveland, and in those days, we've had conversations about him playing for Dallas and we always talked about how it would be good for him to play for Dallas because a lot of his family is in Dallas and he's had such great games against Dallas.
“But either one would be great. And I'll tell you what, it's going to be one of those two.”
In eight games against the Cowboys with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, Beckham has 40 catches for 558 yards and seven touchdowns so Irvin is hoping the receiver will sign with the NFC East team. Irvin added: “Odell is built to be in Dallas. It would be a great get if [Jerry Jones] can get Odell.”
The Cowboys currently possess the 25th-best passing offence in the NFL and are yet to have a receiver break the 100-yard mark in a single game this season despite having names like Ceedee Lamb and Michael Gallup among their offensive weapons. After losing Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns in free agency, Dallas discussed adding Houston Texans star Brandin Cooks and Denver Broncos wideout Jerry Jeudy at the trade deadline - but nothing came to fruition.
Other teams have expressed interest in signing the 30-year-old, including the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs. The Cowboys are believed to be favourites to sign Beckham, but the 49ers are reported to rival Dallas’ offer for the receiver.
San Francisco general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are open to the addition of Beckham, but are reportedly content with their current offensive makeup. The 49ers have plenty of weapons, with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle gearing up alongside former Carolina Panthers superstar Christian McCaffrey.
