The always-aggressive Los Angeles Rams continue to show that they are all-in on the 2021 season. Today, the NFC West rivals added a three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, Odell Beckham Jr., to their ranks. That has to be somewhat frustrating to San Francisco 49ers fans, who are suffering through yet another disappointing campaign by the Bay Area team.
The 49ers and Rams play each other at Levi's Stadium on Monday night.
No one had an opportunity to ask Kyle Shanahan about the signing. After his press conference, the head coach was stepping off the podium as the reports trickled in from various media sources. One Beckham question was directed at star linebacker Fred Warner, though. He had just finished praising Matthew Stafford and was asked about the Rams quarterback's newest weapon.
"That's great," Warner answered when asked for a reaction to the news. "If he plays, great. If he doesn't, great."
The somewhat sarcastic "whatever" response shows that Warner is focused on doing his job on Monday night. So it doesn't matter to him who he is facing.
What about Jimmy Garoppolo? The 49ers quarterback was asked if he made any recruiting pitches for Beckham.
"Uh, in our building, I guess you can say," Garoppolo responded, perhaps half-joking. Or perhaps not.
The quarterback added, "But no, I'm happy with guys we've got right now. So, I just heard that news a little while ago."
Shanahan told reporters on Monday that the 49ers were in no position to submit a waiver claim for Beckham. It didn't make sense financially, as the team has very little wiggle room with the salary cap. San Francisco could have tried to sign Beckham once he cleared waivers, though. However, the veteran receiver appeared only to be considering contenders. The Rams and Green Bay Packers were reportedly the finalists for his services.
Meanwhile, San Francisco is struggling and owns a 3-5 record — sitting in last place in the NFC West.
The 49ers will push forward with the receiving trio of George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk. There will be no Beckham added to the mix in Santa Clara.
One injury-plagued wide receiver, Jalen Hurd, is officially off the roster after struggling to make a regular-season appearance for three seasons. Today, the 49ers waived the former third-round pick.