Odell Beckham Jr. apologizes after tweeting false Deebo Samuel-to-the-Patriots rumor

It appears Odell Beckham Jr.'s NFL reporting career is not going as well as his NFL playing career.

The former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver and current free agent made a surprise, and ultimately ill-advised, foray into the world of NFL news-breaking on Saturday during the waning moments of the 2022 NFL draft.

Specifically, Beckham tweeted that disgruntled San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (Twitter handle: @19problemz) was being traded to the New England Patriots.

This would be enormous news and the scoop of a lifetime for a burgeoning reporter ... if it were true.

Samuel broke out as one of the league's most dangerous weapons last season. He was deployed basically as a wide receiver/running back hybrid, recording 1,405 receiving yards, 365 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns while attacking defenses all over the field.

For whatever reason — be it a desire to play a more straightforward wide receiver role, to play closer to his native South Carolina or a high-price contract extension (Samuel won't say) — the All-Pro loudly requested a trade earlier this month by wiping the Niners from his social media and confirming to a reporter he wanted a trade.

For a second, Beckham seemed to have scooped the NFL media on Samuel's destination. And then, well, the real reporters made some calls and emphatically shot down the rumor.

Beckham eventually apologized to the Twitter world for passing on what seems to have been a bogus rumor. He had teased having received "the tea" from Samuel the previous day, so who knows what happened with his line of communication.

Beckham remains a free agent after tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI, a brutal end to a revitalizing tenure in Los Angeles that saw him post 288 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the postseason after leaving the Cleveland Browns. The Rams had previously expressed interest in bringing him back, but that no longer seems to be happening.