1 key mistake Packers made in Odell Beckham Jr negotiation

The Green Bay Packers lost out on the Odell Beckham Jr. sweepstakes to the Los Angeles Rams.

Even though Odell Beckham Jr. really wanted to go to the Green Bay Packers, the Los Angeles Rams won out for his wide receiver services.

After the Cleveland Browns released him, Beckham had a handful of teams he was potentially interested in joining. While the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers bowed out for him early on, one would have thought the Packers would have been his best landing spot. Instead, the Rams swooped in during the 11th hour to add the former Pro Bowler to their receiving corps.

What did the Packers do wrong to not land a high-end wide receiver to pair with Davante Adams?

Odell Beckham Jr. Rams contract: How did the Packers miss out on OBJ?

It is pretty simple, actually. The Packers were nowhere near aggressive enough to make a deal work between both parties. They reportedly offered him the veteran minimum, while the Rams gave Beckham an incentive-laden contract that went well beyond what Green Bay was willing to offer him. Given that free agents rarely want to go to Green Bay, this is a total embarrassment.

Beckham becomes the at-best No. 3 wide receiver in Los Angeles behind veterans Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. He may not get a ton of targets with the Rams, but he does join a team every bit capable of getting to the 2021 NFC Championship. As for the Packers, they let a player who could have helped them get back to the Super Bowl go to a team they will be battling in January.

Ultimately, the ultra-aggressive Rams won out for Beckham due in large part to the ultra-conservative Packers for not being in relentless pursuit of the bona-fide veteran playmaker.