Odell Beckham Jr. Goes to Baltimore Ravens, To Sing a One-Year $18 Million Deal

One of the best wide receivers in the past decade, Odell Beckham Jr., reportedly agreed to terms with the Baltimore Ravens. According to various sources, the deal is worth up to $18 million for one year, with $15 million guaranteed.

This is the biggest news in the NFL these days, with the Baltimore Ravens being at the center of attention for the previous one as well. Their franchise star and the former NFL MVP, Lamar Jackson, requested a trade from Maryland, causing a major shock throughout the league.

BREAKING: Odell Beckham Jr. signs 1-year deal worth up to $18M with Ravens. (via @rapsheet, @mikegarafolo, @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/YxCHmYywvO

— NFL (@NFL) April 9, 2023

The Ravens partially made this move to keep Jackson, who got the first notable wide receiver in Baltimore. Even though he prefers to run with the ball, Jackson was forced to do that due to a lack of quality targets down the field, with the Ravens having one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL.

Beckham had 96 games played in the league and 91 starts. During that time, he posted 56 touchdown receptions and 7,367 receiving yards, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark on five occasions. That earned him the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year award, three Pro Bowl invitations, and two second-team All-Pro honors. Beckham was the 12th pick at the 2014 NFL Draft, coming out of LSU.

For the moment, of all the contracted players in those positions, there isn’t a single one who had a 1,000-yard season throughout the career. On the other side, Beckham has five, but many are suspicious that the 31-year-old can repeat that due to his injury troubles.

He suffered a season-ending setback in 2020 when he played for the Browns and three years before that while wearing the Giants’ jersey. His most recent significant injury was in the LVI Super Bowl game when he tore his ACL while playing for the LA Rams. The team from LA went on to win the title, and OBJ finally reached the Super Bowl ring but had to miss more than a year.

Lamar Jackson posted this on IG after news broke of OBJ signing with the Ravens 👀 pic.twitter.com/fPFsD55iLx

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 10, 2023

Throughout the 2022 season, Beckham was recovering, but he had plenty of contacts with NFL teams. As a free agent, he was free to negotiate with anyone, and three franchises expressed the most interest in his services – Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and the New York Giants. There were even rumors that he could play at the finish of the campaign, which didn’t happen.

One of the reasons why Odell picked Baltimore as his next destination is Todd Monken, the offensive coordinator, who was in Cleveland with the star wide receiver. The two know one another very well, and there won’t be any problem in adjusting and creating the plays. Allegedly, Monken was involved in Odell’s recruitment and the central figure in the story.

The only problem now is whether Lamar Jackson intends to stay in Baltimore. For sure, he got a great weapon, but Jackson wants a much better contract than the currently offered one. Knowing Lamar, he could be stubborn and decide to go all the way in his demands. The rumors suggest that Ravens offered him a $200-million contract with $175 million guaranteed in case of an injury but that the player wants $250 million.