FRISCO, TX — It's your move, Odell. Rarely has there ever been a time when the Dallas Cowboys - as an organization and/or as a locker room — have lobbied so publicly for the signing of a free agent, but that's the case for Odell Beckham, Jr., with Dak Prescott having now passionately thrown his hat in the recruiting ring to try and woo the veteran receiver to Dallas.
As Prescott and the Cowboys turn the page from a 40-3 reckoning of the Minnesota Vikings toward their coming rematch on Thanksgiving Day against the New York Giants, the other potential frontrunner to land (read: reunite with) Beckham, the quarterback made his feelings about Beckham as clear as spring water.
He wants him in North Texas, period.
"When we're playing like [how we did in Minnesota] and you're able to add a talent like Odell, that can be special," Prescott said following practice on Tuesday. "That just creates more weapons for not only me, but for the offense [as a whole] and for the play-caller. It's more things for the defense to worry about.
"We're getting him in [for a visit] and hopefully things are going great in the recruiting process."
Beckham has reportedly narrowed his list of attractive locations to the Cowboys and Giants, with visits scheduled with both following the conclusion of the Thanksgiving game - one you could reasonably dub "The Beckham Bowl" at this point — with others like the Bills likely still in play as a potential landing spot.
But, for the Cowboys, it's about not letting him leave the building once he arrives.
"He knows how much I want him here," said Prescott. "And a lot of the guys in this locker room have reached out on their own in different ways — to make sure he understands this is a team he can help. And we want him to come help."
The "guys" Prescott is referring to includes CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons and more, along with owner and general manager Jerry Jones walking in lockstep with Executive Vice President and Director of Player Personnel Stephen Jones, with the elder Jones giving insight as well on Tuesday regarding the situation with Beckham.
"I don't want to get into the negotiation," Jones told 105.3FM the Fan. "Frankly we're not. All of those situations make it possible for us to have a deal here. Otherwise, if you didn't have either one of those situations he wouldn't be available."
And as far as meeting Beckham at whatever his offer might be, it sounds as if the Joneses are about as willing to loosen the purse strings for the former first-round pick as they were when they traded for and subsequently extended a different former first-round pick, i.e., Amari Cooper, in 2018.
"Again, everything is relative," Jones said. "We went out with [Amari] Cooper. We broke that bow you're talking about there with Cooper. We're glad to do it and glad to get him. [To a] large degree, it worked."
That said, it's still an equation to be solved by all involved, including Beckham.
"So, you just got to pick your poison so to speak," Jones explained. "Everything — it's either or — when you look at a player and the more you expend for a player, you can go up to where that's two players or that's three players. It's financial, but it's really not. At the end of the day it's the capability, the athletic ability, the availability of paying a lot to one player or paying less to two players.
"There's more than one way to measure it. So, it's all relative. The main thing is everybody would agree with [the thought that] if you can improve this team right now and it's within reason, then you should do it. We've got a chance."
Yes, they do, and will continue to unless Beckham signs elsewhere — something Prescott does not want to see happen as they attempt to go 8-3 on the season with a chance to chase down the Philadelphia Eagles and finally turn the corner in the playoffs toward a potential Super Bowl run.
That's why he's personally reached out to Beckham himself.
"Yea I have, sure," said Prescott. " … I've definitely sent some messages. There's been a little back-and-forth, just making sure that he understands that we want him here. … I don't necessarily know about what he's looking for when it comes to the numbers and the long-term and all that, but I know we want him here and I hope it all works out."
And, for those wondering, yes, the interest has obviously been traveling in both directions.
"Mutual. Honestly, it's mutual," the Cowboys quarterback noted. "That's the reason I said it's business. It's more than just somebody's feelings of wanting to be somewhere. I understand that will come into play, but I'm feeling like it's mutual."
For his part, Beckham is watching everything the Cowboys do, including their eruption at U.S. Bank Stadium to humiliate the 8-1 Vikings in Minneapolis.
"They went [crazy] today," Beckham tweeted only minutes following the game.
And the Cowboys are watching him just as closely.
"They sure did," replied Lawrence. "Make the right decision."
