The Miami Dolphins may have to win their last four games of the regular season to make the playoffs. The Dolphins decided on December 13 to try and achieve that without wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the Dolphins and Beckham “mutually agreed to part ways.”
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo added that the move will not be expensive for the Dolphins. Miami owes him $200,000 for the rest of this season.
Beckham could have earned more money by hitting the incentives in his contract. But he wasn’t close to reaching those bonuses.
The 11-year veteran, who has made second-team All-Pro twice in his career, has 9 catches for 55 yards in nine contests this season.
Odell Beckham Jr. Era With Miami Dolphins Ends
The Dolphins signed Beckham this past offseason with the hope that he would take to a WR3 role behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. But he began the season on the reserve/PUP list after undergoing surgery.
Beckham made his Dolphins debut in Week 5. But he only had 3 targets over his first three games. Beckham didn’t make his first catch until Week 9.
The most targets the veteran received in a game with the Dolphins was 4. He had 3 catches in a game once. His highest yardage in a contest was 17.
All of Beckham’s statistics in Miami were career lows in a season, including a 6.1 yards per reception average.
Beckham will be on waivers until December 16. If goes unclaimed, he will then be able to sign with another team as a free agent.
Beckham won the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year with a league-leading 108.8 receiving yards average for the New York Giants. He made second-team All-Pro in 2015 and 2016.
Over his first three NFL seasons, Beckham also made the Pro Bowl each year.
He missed most of the 2017 season because of injuries. He returned to post 1,000 receiving yards in both 2018 and 2019. He posted 1,035 receiving yards with the Cleveland Browns in 2019.
In 2021, Beckham helped the Los Angeles Rams win the Super Bowl although he suffered an ACL injury during the big game. During 2023, he led the Baltimore Ravens with a 16.1 yards per catch average.
Dolphins Must Beat Texans to Stay in Playoff Hunt
Hill described to reporters that when the team faced a second-half deficit against the New York Jets in Week 14, the Dolphins knew they had to rally or their season would be finished.
They did that, beating the Jets in overtime. Miami’s reward is another game they pretty much have to win in Week 15.
The Dolphins are two games behind in the AFC wild card race with four weeks remaining. That leaves them little margin for error to make the postseason.
Their best path to earning a playoff berth is winning their final four contests. The Dolphins currently own a 6-7 record. Teams that finish 10-7 often make the postseason.
They won’t have nearly as great of a chance with a 9-8 finish.
Given their backs are against the wall, it’s surprising the Dolphins elected to move on from Beckham right now. But clearly, they don’t anticipate the veteran receiver’s departure hurting the team in the immediate future.
With the little production from Beckham this season, it’s hard to disagree.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Dolphins Part Ways With 2-Time All-Pro WR Amid Playoff Push appeared first on Heavy Sports.