The San Francisco 49ers are desperately short on experienced wide receivers.
There's an experienced wide receiver on the open market who's seeking a new team, Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham, 32 years old, played nine games for the Miami Dolphins last year in which he had nine catches for 55 yards -- a far cry from the All-Pro kind of campaigns he enjoyed early in his career with the New York Giants.
According to NFL Network's Tom PelisseroA, Beckham is seeking employment:
Three-time Pro Bowl WR Odell Beckham Jr. has drawn interest from several teams and plans to play somewhere in 2025, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 13, 2025
As OBJ posted himself, he is not retiring, and he continues to train in anticipation of being on the field soon. pic.twitter.com/phX0QxMBvU
According to the Niners' never-shrinking injury report, they need wide receivers. Badly.
So, could San Francisco be among those teams interested in Beckham?
Even if they are, they probably shouldn't be.
49ers can kindly pass on Odell Beckham Jr.
This isn't the first time an OBJ-to-49ers proposal has come down. It seems to be a yearly thing, in that regard, as has been the trajectory of Beckham's career.
The Niners won't get No. 1 wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk back until midseason as he recovers from a torn ACL and MCL, and fellow wideout Jauan Jennings is dealing with a (phantom?) calf injury. Second-year pro Jacob Cowing only recently returned to practice after dealing with a hamstring issue, while rookie Jordan Watkins suffered a high-ankle sprain during San Francisco's exhibition opener. Veteran receiver Demarcus Robinson is anticipating a three-game suspension for a DUI last year.
That's led to the 49ers scraping the bottom of the free-agent barrel, inking Malik Turner to bolster the depth chart.
Beckham has more star power than any of those names, true. However, in light of the 49ers' offseason efforts to get both younger and cheaper, signing Beckham is counterintuitive. Sure, having a veteran presence in the locker room isn't a bad idea. But, Aiyuk is already serving in that capacity despite recovering from injury, and the Niners need to give their younger crop of wide receivers more time on the field and more snaps.
Unless Beckham would accept a veteran's minimum and would be content with no more than five or 10 snaps per game, it wouldn't be worthwhile. Considering there's a reported market, it doesn't sound like San Francisco would bite anyway.
So, simply file this away as this year's instalment of Beckham-49ers chatter that we'll probably have yet again a year from now, only to deny the need.