Sauce Gardner: Odell Beckham Jr. 'Wanted to' Join Jets, Had Jersey Number Picked Out
May 12, 2023
When Sauce Gardner isn't busy shutting down opposing wide receivers, he's apparently carved out a second career recruiting players to the New York Jets.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr, Gardner explained that Odell Beckham Jr. was ready to sign with the Jets at one point.
"Odell, he wanted to play here," Gardner says. "It was to the point where he was picking his jersey. He was telling me, like, 'Hey, ask so-and-so if I can get the jersey [number I want].' He was going to wear number 7."
Beckham ultimately spurned the Jets to sign a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens on April 13.
It seemed like Beckham was close to a deal with the Jets before the Ravens stepped in. The three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver told Josina Anderson of CBS Sports HQ he was flying to New York for a meeting with Jets officials on April 10.
Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Beckham was set to undergo a physical and have a "thorough discussion" about his fit in their receiver room and what to expect in an offense led by Aaron Rodgers.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on April 15 the Jets made a "very competitive" offer to Beckham before he signed with the Ravens. His deal with Baltimore contains $13.8 million guaranteed and $15 million in total money.
There are an additional $3 million in incentives that Beckham can earn based on receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
Even though Gardner's recruitment of Beckham came up short, he was successful in helping to sell Rodgers on playing in New York.
Gardner followed through on his promise to burn a cheesehead in another part of his recruiting pitch to Rodgers on March 10.
If the Jets were only going to end up with one of Gardner's two prime recruiting targets, Rodgers was far more important than Beckham. It can reasonably be argued they missed the playoffs last season because of how much of a mess their quarterback situation was.
Beckham, on the other hand, would have been a luxury addition. They already had Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson on the roster and signed Rodgers' former teammate Allen Lazard in free agency.
Mecole Hardman, Denzel Mims and Corey Davis are a good group to have as your third and fourth options. They brought in another former Packer last week by agreeing to a one-year deal with Randall Cobb.
Beckham has a lot to prove this season after missing the entire 2022 campaign recovering from a torn ACL. He had 537 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 14 games between the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams in 2021.
