'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Odell Beckham Jr. and the Los Angeles Rams are preparing for the biggest game of their lives. They are set to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium, home of the Rams, in Inglewood, California.
With the opening night of the Super Bowl media session in the books, the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year provided a key nugget as he revealed the names of the two teams that he turned down to become a member of the Rams.
Trending
He was courted by several teams, most notably the New England Patriots and the New Orleans Saints. Here's what the former LSU standout had to say about the chances he had of joining one of those teams:
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
"I was close. Very close," Beckham said of potentially joining the Saints. "It just didn't feel like the right time. Right place. Wrong time."
He also stated that instead of fielding a call from New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, he chose to join the Rams as he was familiar with Eric Yarber, the receivers coach for the Rams.
Will Odell Beckham Jr. be the difference for the Rams to win the Super Bowl?
Despite starting slowly with the Rams, OBJ caught fire as the season progressed. A significant reason for this was his immediate ascension on the depth chart as starting receiver Robert Woods suffered a torn ACL in practice just days after Beckham was signed.
Since he was signed by the Rams near the trade deadline, OBJ was only able to muster six touchdowns, but this was in stark contrast to having no touchdowns during the first half of the season with the Cleveland Browns.
But unlike his time with the Browns, Beckham is playing across the field from a teammate who arguably had the second-best receiving season in NFL history in Cooper Kupp (1,947 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns).
Both numbers are the second most in NFL history for that statistic.
The Cincinnati Bengals will not have the luxury of rolling coverage over to Beckham because of the immediate threat from Kupp. This gives OBJ a great chance to exploit single coverage.
The former All-Pro receiver was able to prove his doubters wrong and may have erroneously assumed that he was past his prime due to his lack of production with the Browns and quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Super Bowl LVI could be determined from the performance of the former Pro Bowl receiver and how well he exploits his matchup.
Also Check Out: Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl Wins
LA Rams Nation! Check out the latest Rams Schedule and dive into the LA Rams Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.
