Austin Ekeler’s cryptic message and more

Another roundup of NFL rumors that concerns Austin Ekeler’s clouded future, Odell Beckham Jr.’s new suitor, and a ballsy reunion between the Chiefs and this offensive tackle. 

The first day of free agency is upon us! Rejoice!

New York Jets fans probably have the most to celebrate after getting verbal confirmation that Aaron Rodgers wants to play with them in 2023. It’s a Brett Favre-Christmas in March for the Jets franchise, but for the rest of the league, it’s just, well, March.

At 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 15, free agency officially begins, allowing any player on an expiring contract to sign with any team. In short, there will be just as much craziness as there was on the first day of the legal tampering period, though many top free agents have already agreed in principle to deals with their teams.

Rodgers, Jimmy G, Javon Hargrave, Jessie Bates, and other high-profile pending free agents have successfully secured their futures; the big name to watch will be Baltimore Ravens‘ Lamar Jackson, who can now start negotiating with teams at the start of free agency. Whether or not any teams want to negotiate with him is a different story that may or may not involve collusion.

Where will this joyous beginning of free agency take us? Let’s look at three of the top NFL rumors right now.

NFL Rumors: Patriots are keeping a close eye on Odell Beckham Jr.

The New England Patriots might be in serious trouble this season. The Jets went out and got Aaron Rodgers (or they’re going to). The Dolphins got Jalen Ramsey for pennies. The Bills still have Josh Allen and a loaded roster.

What do the Pats have? No reliable starting quarterback and no reliable wideout to throw to. (They just got JuJu, but are we really considering him to be a WR1?)

Bill Belichick has embodied the picture of stubbornness these past several years when it comes to the wide receiver unit, and now New England has to pay the price.

Since 2022, Belichick has drafted just one wide receiver in the first round, N’Keal Harry. Since 2018, these are the last wideouts Belichick drafted: Braxton Berrios in 2018, Harry in 2020, Tre Nixon in 2021, and Tyquan Thornton in 2022.

Talk about setting up a rookie quarterback to fail. At least Justin Fields finally got his man.

With the free agent wide receiver market quickly thinning, the Pats are running out of options but are still insistent on striking a good deal, no matter the circumstances.

They’re reportedly keeping tabs on DeAndre Hopkins, Jerry Jeudy, and Odell Beckham Jr., and out of all those players OBJ may come the cheapest.

New England currently has around $30 million in cap space to make a big splash in the wide receiver market. While the franchise would have to fork over draft picks for Hopkins or Jeudy, free agent Beckham is mainly looking for a long-term deal, and a certifiable deep threat like him could help Mac Jones take the next step in his stagnant career.

Beckham’s most rumored landing spots have been the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys, but….maybe he wants to play with Jones? Probably not. The rumor’s out there, anyway.