Odell Beckham Jr. steals JJ McCarthy's old Vikings number, and Justin Jefferson is the reason why
OBJ signed with the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday and quickly picked out his new number.
It didn't take very long for Odell Beckham Jr. to find a new home. His fairytale return to the New York Giants didn't go as planned, leading to his release from the franchise after Week 3. On Wednesday, OBJ was on a new team: the Minnesota Vikings .
Beckham was brought in as an insurance plan for Justin Jefferson , one of the league's top receivers who missed last game with an ankle injury. OBJ has a link to Jefferson due to both of them attending LSU , and he's also spent time with head coach Kevin O'Connell , when they were together on the Los Angeles Rams in 2021.
Beckham wasted no time picking out a new number, and his choice definitely raised some eyebrows. It's not uncommon for wide receiver to choose a single-digit number, but Beckham went with No. 9 . That, of course, was the jersey number of underwhelming first round pick J.J. McCarthy , who ironically is now with the Giants.
Odell Beckham Jr. says Justin Jefferson "got half his game from me"
When asked why he chose that number, it turns out it had nothing to do with McCarthy. Instead, OBJ went the humorous route and joked that he picked it because Jefferson "got half his game from me" .
Jefferson wears No. 18 , and he grew up watching Beckham in college with the Tigers. There are certainly some similarities with Beckham and Jefferson. In fact, Jefferson's historic start to his NFL career was only preceded by OBJ's incredible beginnings in the league . Now, it's all come full circle.
