NFL Rumors: Odell Beckham Jr. Considered Chiefs, Bills Before Dolphins Contract

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The allure of playing in Mike McDaniel's high-powered offense proved to be a difference-maker for Odell Beckham Jr. when he agreed to a deal with the Miami Dolphins on Friday.

Appearing on Saturday's episode of SportsCenter, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills were "in the mix" for Beckham before he picked the Dolphins:

"Odell Beckham is betting big on Mike McDaniel unlocking him. He wants to produce, and he still wants to be a prime target. He feels like the Dolphins can help him get there. Now, they had an upside package of a little over $8 million, so they came to a sweet spot there in the negotiation. There were some other teams in the mix. I was told Kansas City was appealing to Odell Beckham, Buffalo as well. But in the end, he believes this offense can still help him prove something. This is a player who put up less than 600 yards last year in Baltimore; probably didn't go the way he wanted. So, he's going to go be the third option, of course, behind Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, but he feels like there's enough footballs to go around."

Per ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques, Beckham's one-year deal with the Dolphins is worth $3 million with incentives that can push the value up to $8.25 million.

While the present version of Beckham may not be the same electric playmaker from his peak years with the New York Giants, he did show glimmers of being a big-play threat with the ball in his hands last season.

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Even after using their first pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Keon Coleman, the Bills still have a need for more receiver talent. Their projected starters alongside Coleman are Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel.

Tight end Dalton Kincaid is the Bills' top returning receiver from last season after Stefon Diggs was traded and Gabriel Davis signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a free agent.

The Chiefs appear to be a little more stable at receiver than Buffalo right now. The reigning Super Bowl champs signed Marquise Brown in free agency and selected Xavier Worthy with the No. 28 pick in the first round of the draft.

Rashee Rice's availability for the start of the season is up in the air. He is facing charges of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury stemming from a car crash in Texas on March 30.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Rice is expected to receive "at least a multigame suspension" from the NFL.

Even though the idea of playing with Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes could entice many receivers, the Dolphins are far from a bad alternative. They finished second in the NFL in points scored last season.

The Dolphins need a more reliable third option behind Hill and Waddle. They combined for 275 targets last season. No other player on the team had more than 43 targets.

Beckham is coming off a season with the Baltimore Ravens where he finished with 565 yards and averaged a career-high 16.1 yards per reception.