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The New York Giants superstar wide receiver is not officially on the trading block, however Adam Schefter has reported that teams calling to inquire have been told the asking price for Odell Beckham Jr is two 1st round picks. That’s the kind of asking price they’re will to have quoted in the media because 99% of players in the NFL can be had for that price. It is very unlikely anyone is willing to cough up that kind of draft capital for anyone.
More realistically, if the Giants trade Beckham it will be something closer to a 1st and a 3rd. That is a price the Chargers should be willing to pay. Beckham is the type of player that can turn a mediocre offense into a good one. Just look what he has done for th intensely mediocre Eli Manning:
If you want to know why the Giants won’t trade Odell Beckham, these are Eli Manning’s stats with and without Odell on the field over the last three seasons: pic.twitter.com/yCynKTU3UI
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) March 26, 2018
The Chargers were already a very good offense in 2017. They finished the year 4th in weighted defense-adjust value over average (DVOA). Now, just for a moment, imagine the fourth-best offense in the NFL replacing the production of a Mike Williams or Travis Benjamin with one of the best wide receivers of the last decade. Keenan Allen is already one of the best and most productive receivers in the league and teams would be unable to dedicate anywhere near the resources they currently do to covering him if Beckham were lined up on the other side of the field.
Unles the Chargers are ready to pull the trigger on a quarterback in this year’s draft, and it’s impossible to know if they really are, they should be doing everything in their power to maximize Philip Rivers’ last few shots at a championship. There might not be anything they could do that would go further toward that goal than acquiring Beckham. They have built an offensive line. They have quality receiving options. They have a running back they trust to carry the ball 20+ times per game. The defense is filled with high-end talent especially at defensive end and cornerback. This is the kind of addition that could take them to another level.
There is obvious risk. Beckham missed most of 2017 due to injury. Giving up the kind of draft capital that it would take to get him increases the odds of truly bottoming out if Rivers gets hurt, falls off, or calls it quits. Then there’s the reason that Beckham’s name is even coming up in trade talks. He wants to get paid. He is asking for a truly enormous contract and it would require some serious salary cap gymnastics to fit him in. The thing, though, is that he’s one of the handful of players in the NFL that is a true differencemaker.
What do you think? Should the Chargers go all in on Philip Rivers’ last few years and go after Beckham or should they go the conservative route and build for the future through the draft?