Rex Ryan wanted Jets to trade for Odell Beckham

Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan hasn't been known to always think before he speaks.

He's led the league in playoff and Super Bowl guarantees by a head coach without a ton of actual postseason success.

In the past week, Ryan lost two central pieces to his team's success for extended periods of time, so Sports Illustrated's Don Banks came for a visit to get some insight on the injuries.

One of his questions uncovered an unexpected answer about Ryan's time with his previous team, the New York Jets, when asked about receiver Sammy Watkins' future injury concerns.

"Has he missed a little time? Yeah. Big deal. He and everyone else," said Ryan. "The (Odell) Beckham kid came out the same year, and he missed how many games with a hamstring issue? Believe me, I was trying to trade for him (with the Jets) when he had the hamstring. I was reading the (New York) papers, and I was like, ‘Well, hell, we’ll take him.’"

Beckham was selected by the New York Giants with the 12th overall pick in 2014. The Jets ended up selecting safety Calvin Pryor at No. 18, but what may be more notable from this tidbit is Ryan's thoughts on Watkins.

Under current general manager Doug Whaley, the Bills picked Watkins fourth overall that season, passing on Beckham, who has had a more productive first two seasons in the league than Watkins.

Beckham has made 187 catches for 2,755 yards with 25 touchdowns in 27 career games, while Watkins has put up 125 catches for 2,029 yards with 15 touchdowns in 29 games.

Ryan's desires wouldn't have come into play with the Jets, as he had limited roster control with former general manager John Idzik making the decisions. It's also pretty safe to say that there were about 30 other teams hoping to trade for Beckham as well, once they saw his talent and production.