The Minnesota Vikings filled a couple of open practice squad spots with wide receivers this week, and if you are like me, one of those names definitely made you do a double-take: Odell Beckham Jr. Yeah, you heard that right. The dude who once torched secondaries as a New York Giant is now joining the Vikings practice squad, a move that absolutely nobody saw coming.
From Rookie Sensation to Wild Card
Let’s be real, OBJ needs no introduction for anyone who has watched football in the last decade. He exploded onto the scene after being drafted by the New York Giants out of Louisiana State in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He immediately snagged the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and followed that up with two Second-Team NFL All-Pro selections in 2015 and 2016. The man built an incredible career, racking up 575 receptions for 7,987 receiving yards and 59 touchdowns. He was electric, a game-changer, the kind of player you paid to watch.
But then, the injury bug hit hard, and his career started to drop off significantly after 2020. He suffered a torn ACL midway through that season as a member of the Cleveland Browns. He came back to Cleveland for the 2021 season, but it was clear things weren’t right. Disagreements with how he was being used in the Cleveland offense led to his release, and he landed with the Los Angeles Rams. He was a crucial part of their Super Bowl championship team, even scoring a touchdown in that big game. But fate, man, it can be cruel. He suffered another ACL injury during that very Super Bowl, an injury so severe it forced him to miss the entire 2022 season.
The Tumultuous Road Back
After sitting out 2022, OBJ tried to restart his career in 2023, signing with the Baltimore Ravens. He managed 35 receptions for 565 yards and three scores, which, for a lot of guys, would be a solid season, but for OBJ, it felt like a shadow of his former self. The Ravens released him before free agency in 2024, and he then signed with Miami. That stint was rough; he started the season on the Physically Unable to Perform List, appeared in only nine games, and made just nine catches before being released in December.
And it gets wilder. He did not even play in 2025, and for part of that season, he served a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Talk about a rollercoaster! This season, 2026, he actually attempted a comeback with the Giants again. He surprisingly made the 53-man roster out of training camp, but that comeback was short-lived. He was released after only three games, without recording a single catch. Honestly, I am not sure how high the expectations should be for OBJ at this point in his career, or how much juice he has left in the tank. It is a huge question mark.
Oh, and by the way, the Vikings also signed wide receiver Jeshaun Jones to the practice squad. They brought Jones back after he served a three-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and was waived earlier in the week. But let’s be real, that is not the headline here, is it?
So, here he is, Odell Beckham Jr., a three-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champ, now on the Vikings practice squad. What does this actually mean? Can he defy all the odds and injuries to contribute, even from the practice squad? It is a long shot, no doubt, but you gotta wonder what kind of spark he might still have. It will definitely be interesting to see if this move pays off for Minnesota or if it is just another chapter in a wild, winding career.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Daily Norseman.
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