obj.png
USATSI

Interested NFL teams are getting in line to talk to Odell Beckham Jr. and figure out exactly what he's looking for.

Teams like the Cowboys, Bills, Giants, Chiefs, Rams and Packers have made their interest known to Beckham either publicly or privately. And those competing for Beckham are all on the lookout for a sleeper team that could swoop in at the last moment.

The prevailing belief is that Beckham wants a multi-year contract on a team that is both contending now and will in the future. A cold-weather city isn't a no-go, but he'd prefer warmer weather and wants a city or brand with a big platform.

"Many teams will have to work some [salary cap] maneuvers to get him on board," one team executive told CBS Sports.

Beckham saw the wide receiver market explode this past offseason as he began rehabbing from his ACL surgery. With the career renaissance he had in Los Angeles, he would have gotten a massive second payday in March had he not suffered a knee injury in the Super Bowl.

Two teams told CBS Sports that Beckham must realize that for all his talents, he's still a 30-year-old receiver coming off a second ACL surgery. This could be his last best chance at that final contract.

"A lot of this talk is premature," said one team executive, throwing cold water on the speculation. "It builds up anticipation of signing and it's creating the illusion of a market."

One executive speculated the deal would likely have to be loaded with future non-guaranteed salary that would help the optics of the contract announcement but still protect the team in the long term.

One team anticipates a signing could take place within the next two weeks. Another said it could take longer, but that they wouldn't expect him to get on the field until Week 14 or 15 due to the ramp-up and acclimation period.