Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and Vikings rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. spent time together with the Rams, and both have a Super Bowl ring from it.
It was O’Connell’s influence that brought Beckham to Minnesota.
Meeting with reporters on Wednesday, Beckham said he had other options after being released by the Giants. He chose the Vikings.
“It was as if he wanted me to be here” Beckham said of O’Connell. “And that was expressed to me. And that feels good. . . . It always feels better when you’re doing it for somebody who, you know, you feel like their heart is there for them, too.”
With the Giants, his return always felt more like a feel-good story at best, and a publicity stunt at worst. Once the games started, it wasn’t consistent.
Minnesota has no marketing or PR reason to add Beckham. It’s all about improving the team. And O’Connell, who has had opportunities to sign Beckham in the past but didn’t, apparently believes that, at this specific moment, Beckham can make a difference.
The first opportunity could come as soon as Sunday, in a game in his home state of Louisiana against the Saints.
