The Odell Beckham Jr. rumor mill is off and running, and it’s safe to say this will carry on for a while. The New York Giants could end up dealing OBJ, but it’s hard for me to see them getting the kind of return they would need to unload such an exceptional wide receiver. And even though I doubt we see a trade, the rumors are going to fly fast and furious.
Which brings us to Jason La Canfora. He took a look at all 31 teams, and broke down who had what kind of change to land Beckham. For the San Francisco 49ers, he offered the most specific comment of anybody.
Very much in the same proactive mode as the Rams, trying to build a top offense around a young play-calling head coach. I continue to hear San Francisco is monitoring this thing closely, has real interest, and this could shape up as a very interested NFC West arms race.
I have no doubt the 49ers are keeping an eye on this. I don’t know exactly how interested they may or may not be, but any team would be foolish to not at least inquire about the price for Beckham. That doesn’t mean they’ll turn around and do it given the need for a contract extension, but you at least do your due diligence.
That being said, it’s hard to take La Canfora too seriously. He breaks stories, but he has a history of swinging and missing. Most recently, heading into free agency, he wrote about how fans should expect the 49ers to land Allen Robinson and/or Dion Lewis. He described it as a “big ticket item,” and if he had left it at that without specifying a name, he could have claimed that he was right. They spent big on Weston Richburg and Jerick McKinnon, so I suppose they could be considered “big ticket items.”
But, there is no indication the 49ers actually had significant interest in either Robinson or Lewis. I would not be surprised if they at least inquired about the price, but there was no visit as far as we know, and nothing developed.
La Canfora could very well end up correct on this. After all, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. But consider me skeptical at best about this report.