


Star cornerback Sauce Gardner is spilling the tea about how close Odell Beckham Jr. apparently came to joining the Jets.
Prior to Beckham signing with the Ravens in April, the Pro Bowl wideout — who missed all of last season while recovering from an ACL tear he sustained in Super Bowl 2022 — was in talks with the Jets.
Although it’s unclear how deep they were into discussions, Beckham had his sights set on wearing the number seven as a Jet, according to Gardner — who has Beckham on speed dial and tried to publicly recruit him to New York.
“Odell, he wanted to play here,” Gardner said in an interview with Sports Illustrated for its June 2023 cover. “It was to the point where he was picking his jersey.
“He was telling me, like, ‘Hey, ask so-and-so if I can get the jersey [number I want].’ He was going to wear number 7.”
Beckham wore No. 3 when he joined the Rams in November 2021 following his release from the Browns.
At the time, ESPN reported that Beckham, who wore No. 3 in college at LSU, agreed to wear No. 3 temporarily for the 2021-22 season — and if he re-signed with the Rams, he would switch back to No. 13.
Beckham wore the No. 13 for five years with the Giants, and then in Cleveland.
Beckham has yet to address Gardner’s comments.
The 30-year-old receiver was linked to the Jets in March, when multiple reports said he was close to signing with New York.
The reports came days after Beckham replied to a tweet suggesting he should go to the Jets.
Aaron Rodgers also reportedly had Beckham on his “wish list” of free agents before the quarterback was traded to the Jets in April.
After multiple visits with teams near the end of last season, including the Giants, Beckham signed a one-year deal worth up to $18 million with Baltimore.
On Thursday, Beckham shared a video running sprints at a track with his former Giants teammate, running back Saquon Barkley, and Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins.