Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is enjoying a career resurgence as he's set to appear in his first Super Bowl on Sunday.
But the three-time Pro Bowl selection admitted he was "very, very, very, very" close to joining the New England Patriots during his brief midseason free agency, before instead signing with the Rams, MassLive.com reports.
Beckham addressed reporters during Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday and admitted to having interest in signing with the Patriots in November, which included speaking with head coach Bill Belichick over the phone.
Additionally, the wide receiver said had the situation arisen three years prior -- when Tom Brady was still the Patriots' quarterback -- he would have signed with New England.
“I don’t think I joked with him on the phone. But I was like, if this was three years ago, it would have been ideal. Because Tom is one of the -- he’s one of my favorites," Beckham said via MassLive.com.
Belichick has publicly praised Beckham in the past, which was once again reiterated during the receiver's brief free agency and Beckham expressed mutual feelings for the six-time Super Bowl champion coach on Monday.
“For a guy, coach like Bill Belichick, who’ve all admired for years and I’ve seen and just always was like, ‘Man, one day, I’m gonna play for Bill Belichick.’ For him to call me, to be able to just sit down on the phone with him and talk football, I mean, what more could you ask for?” Beckham said via MassLive.com. “So, I was very close. That was one of the teams that was in there. But I felt like this was home.”
Beckham instead signed with the eventual NFC Champion Rams days after being released by the Cleveland Browns on November 5, subjecting him to waivers, allowing any NFL team to put in a claim for him and inherit the remaining $7.25 million on his contract with Cleveland prior to the February 9 deadline, in which he officially became a free agent, allowing him to choose his own destination.
Beckham emerged as one of the NFL's brightest stars after being selected No. 12 overall by the New York Giants in the 2014 NFL Draft, following a stellar collegiate career at LSU.
The Louisiana native was the 2014 NFL Rookie of the Year and a three-time Pro Bowler during his first five seasons with the Giants, before being acquired by the Browns, along with Olivier Vernon, in exchange for Jabrill Peppers, Kevin Zeitler and multiple 2019 NFL Draft picks in March 2019.
Beckham's tenure in Cleveland was considered a disappointment as he's caught only 114 receptions for 1,586 yards and seven touchdowns during three seasons, while also recording eight rushes for 96 yards and one touchdown.
The 29-year-old has since returned to form with the Rams, recording 27 receptions for 305 yards and five touchdowns during seven games in the regular season, as well as 19 receptions for 236 yards and a touchdown during Los Angeles' current playoff run.
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