KC Chiefs not considered candidates to sign Odell Beckham Jr.

The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t among the listed finalists for Odell Beckham Jr.’s services for the rest of 2022.

For the longest time, the Kansas City Chiefs were always included in the mix of teams vying for the services of free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. (Even Travis Kelce went on record saying he wanted him to sign in K.C.) As the season moves closer to the stretch run, however, Beckham is still taking his time to sign and the Chiefs have been bumped from the list of candidates—at least per current rumors.

The latest episode of The Insiders podcast is out from NFL reporters Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo, and Tom Pelissero, and the trio addresses a number of current events around the league—including Von Miller’s injury for the Buffalo Bills. During the second half of the broadcast, they get to Beckham’s free agent status and detail the latest that they’ve found.

When it comes to Chiefs Kingdom, the most important note is that K.C. has been left out of the list of favorites for the first time since this whole journey began. Instead, any “sweepstakes,” for lack of a better word, to sign Beckham now comes down to the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Buffalo Bills.

The Cowboys have been considered favorites for quite some time. They are a contender in the NFC with a potent offense yet there’s room for Beckham to enhance things for Dak Prescott and company. The same can be said for the Buffalo Bills. As for the Giants, it would be a homecoming for Beckham and a chance for the vet to help a young, ascending team.

As for the Chiefs, however, Beckham’s fit has always been a bit of a question mark. Even with injuries, the Chiefs have looked solid at wide receiver all season, and when the whole unit is healthy, there aren’t enough targets to go around as it is. Plus, it’s an odd salary addition for a team with major future needs elsewhere.

One bonus here for the Chiefs, as those on the outside, is that Rapoport says Beckham isn’t likely to be ready to play for any team until late December and that he’s not even visiting with the team until December 5. In other words, Beckham’s ability to make any impact is going to be very limited this season.

At this stage, Beckham recently turned 30 years old and is coming off of rehab for yet another ACL injury. He hasn’t played in a game since last January and he might not play until this January as well. There are multiple risks here and Chiefs Kingdom should take comfort that their team won’t be the one paying to find out what’s left in the tank.