RiverDog":37gm3n1e said:
But I was really surprised to see him clear waivers. It will be interesting to see where he ends up. With Metcalf's contract coming up in 2023, I have a hard time believing that we'd be interested in entering the sweepstakes.
Firstly, clearing waivers was always the most likely and best case scenario both for teams and for OBJ.
Odell is going to want to hit open UFA market. His current deal would have gone through 2023, but has no remaining guaranteed money in it. By not getting claimed, he essentially gets a third contract (guarantees and all) while he's in his prime. By 2023, he is well past his prime and the deal will be soft.
Teams are going to want to sign him to a one year deal instead of assume his voidable deal. His base salary is extremely high in 2022/23 and teams aren't going to want to pay the backend of that deal (or any deal really as they are structured now). It's why we're currently toting extra cap space today for when we cut/void a bunch of contracts in 2022 and have to toll the remaining guarantees in dead money.
Further, if any team that is already interested in him in the first place signs him to that one year deal he *should* be seeking -- they'll in essence buy half a season of Odell and a possible future draft pick as compensation.
For Odell, he isn't going to get more money if he's claimed. He will get more if he signs as a street FA and then enters the UFA market in March.
The only reason a team would claim him, is if they want him but don't feel like they have a shot at signing him. And even then, he is already a volatile kind of talent. Would it even make sense to claim him to his personal detriment and create a scenario where he makes trouble as a result.
Getting the Odell you want kind of needs to be one of his own volition. Otherwise you get the one you don't want and waste potential cap space in 2022 which has value too.
Fully expected him to clear waivers and go to a team more of his own accord. Makes sense for all parties involved.