Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore Ravens Agree to 1-Year Deal Worth Up to $18M
News 4/9/23
No need for that flight to New York now.
The Odell Beckham Jr. sweepstakes came to a surprising conclusion on Sunday when the free agent wide receiver agreed to a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens, the team announced. NFL Media reported the contract is for $15 million and includes $3 million in reachable incentives that could push its value to $18 million.
Chris Johnson, an analyst for The 33rd Team, isn’t surprised Beckham Jr. received a nice payday.
“Every team and fan around this league knows when Odell is healthy the type of things that he can do,” Johnson said. “You look at his last year [with the Rams] he was on his way to being the Super Bowl MVP.”
Beckham, who has not played since tearing his ACL in the Los Angeles Rams‘ Super Bowl LVI victory 14 months ago, reportedly was scheduled to meet with the New York Jets on Monday. That meeting was presumed to be an effort to add yet another weapon to quarterback Aaron Rodgers‘ disposal whenever he is traded to the Jets. Beckham supposedly was one of the players on Rodgers’ wish list, an assertion the quarterback called “stupid”.
Sunday’s deal might signal a doubling down by the Ravens to get quarterback Lamar Jackson to sign a contract. Baltimore applied a non-exclusive franchise tag worth $32.4 million for the 2023 season to Jackson last month. Jackson later tweeted he had requested a trade from the Ravens.
Beckham, 30, would give the Ravens a No. 1 receiver they have lacked at least since they traded Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals during the 2022 NFL Draft.
The compensation from the Ravens falls between the “parameters” Beckham tweeted about last month when he said he was confused about reports he wanted $20 million but also that he wouldn’t play for $4 million.
I’m just so confused where the quote is from me tht said I want 20…..😭🙄all I’m sayin is 4 AINT enough
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) March 18, 2023
Beckham, the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year, was an All-Pro and Pro Bowl pick during his first three seasons in the league. A string of injuries has limited him to just one full season since 2017. He missed 12 games in 2017 and four in 2018 for the New York Giants, then another nine in 2020 for the Cleveland Browns, who released him midway through 2021, which is how he landed in Los Angeles.
In addition to the Jets, the Kansas City Chiefs were thought to be another of the receiver’s suitors.
Beckham hasn’t come close to the production of his first three seasons when he had at least 91 catches, 10 touchdowns and 1,305 yards every season. Since then he’s topped out at 77 catches for 1,052 yards and six TDs. That, however, would put him at the head of the class for the Ravens recently.
Jackson’s leading target in 2022 was tight end Mark Andrews, who had 73 catches for 847 yards and five scores. Jackson’s go-to receivers were Demarcus Robinson with a line of 48, 458 and two touchdowns, and Devin Duvernay with 37, 407 and three TDs.
It will be interesting to see if bringing aboard a receiving talent like Beckham moves the needle at all on the Jackson talks, which have hit a stalemate.