Vikings sign Odell Beckham Jr., pairing former LSU star with Justin Jefferson

Ben Goessling, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Oct 7, 2026

Published in Football

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MINNEAPOLIS — Before they head to New Orleans this weekend, the Vikings added another famous LSU wide receiver who could play with Justin Jefferson on Sunday.

The team is signing Odell Beckham Jr. to its practice squad in an attempt to add veteran depth to its wide receiver group.

Beckham reunites with Kevin O’Connell, who coached him on the 2021 Rams team that won the Super Bowl, and assistant head coach Frank Smith, who was with Beckham in Miami in 2024.

The Vikings practiced without Jordan Addison on Wednesday, as the receiver worked through minor hamstring soreness. Jefferson, who missed Sunday’s game against the Dolphins with a sprained ankle, was limited in his return to practice.

Signing Beckham gives the Vikings another option as the two recover from their injuries.

“[Beckham] feels like he had an extra bye week, and he was prepared, in great shape,“ O’Connell said. “His tape from the preseason looked really good. I haven’t seen him on the practice field yet, but I’m looking forward to it.”

O’Connell said Beckham participated in the team’s walkthrough on Wednesday morning, adding he thinks Beckham can get acclimated to the Vikings’ offense quickly and be ready to play Sunday if needed.

The Rams signed Beckham on a Thursday in November 2021, only for Robert Woods to tear his ACL the following day. Beckham was on the field that Sunday for Los Angeles against San Francisco, catching two passes for 18 yards. He had 10 targets the following week, catching five passes for 81 yards in a loss to the Packers.

“I think he’s got enough experience in different systems, including our family of offenses, that there can be some carryover,” O’Connell said.

Beckham did not play in 2025 after serving a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. He returned to the NFL this season by signing with the Giants — the team that drafted him in 2014 — but New York released him on Sept. 29 after three games.

The 33-year-old Beckham, who caught 288 passes in his first three NFL seasons while winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2014, hasn’t surpassed 1,000 yards in a season since 2019. But the three-time Pro Bowler caught 27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns in eight games with the Rams in 2021 before starring in the team’s run to the Super Bowl.

During four playoff games with Los Angeles that season, Beckham caught 21 passes for 288 yards and five touchdowns, including the opening touchdown in Super Bowl LVI.

The Vikings also designated injured center Michael Jurgens and tight end Ben Yurosek to return to practice Wednesday, and signed receiver Jeshaun Jones to their practice squad.

Jones was suspended for the Vikings’ first three games this season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

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