Odell Beckham Jr. won't be a Jet as former Giants WR signs one-year deal with Ravens
Odell Beckham Jr. of the Rams reacts during the second quarter of the game against the Cardinals in an NFC Wild Card playoff game at SoFi Stadium on Jan. 17, 2022 in Inglewood, Calf. Credit: Getty Images/Harry How
Odell Beckham Jr. won't be visiting the Jets after all.
Beckham, the former Giants star wide receiver, signed Sunday afternoon with the Baltimore Ravens on a reported one-year deal worth up to $18 million. The deal includes $15 million guaranteed and $3 million in incentives, according to multiple reports.
Beckham announced the signing on Instagram. He posted two photos on both his and his son Zydn's accounts of Zydn wearing a Lamar Jackson jersey and a Ravens hat, along with the caption "Flock..." from Zydn's account.
It was widely speculated that the Jets, who have been working on a trade for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, were among the front-runners to sign Beckham. The two sides reportedly were set to have a "multi-facted" meeting on Monday, and Beckham, Jets head coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas were photographed talking to each other at the NFL league meetings in Arizona two weeks ago.
Beckham reportedly was on Rodgers' "wish list" of players that he wanted the Jets to sign; Rodgers called the existence of such a list "ridiculous" when asked about it on The Pat McAfee Show on March 15, but he did express interest in playing alongside Beckham, saying, "Who wouldn't want to have Odell on their team?"
Whether or not Beckham will be catching passes from Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, remains to be seen. Jackson revealed two weeks ago that he requested a trade from the Ravens on March 2, five days before the team placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him amid negotiations over a long-term extension.
Even with Jackson, the Ravens' passing game has been limited by a lack of production from their wide receivers. Rashod Bateman played only six games last season, and aside from tight end Mark Andrews, no Baltimore player managed even 500 yards receiving.
Beckham, 30, has 531 catches for 7,367 yards and 56 touchdowns in eight seasons. However, he has not played in more than a year as he recovered from a torn ACL in his left knee, and his last 1,000-yard season was in 2019.
He won Offensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl three times during five polarizing years with the Giants, but was traded to the Browns on March 13, 2019, about six and a half months after Beckham and the Giants signed a five-year, $95 million extension.
He spent two and a half seasons in Cleveland before being waived in November 2021 following public criticism from his father over the way Beckham was being used in the Browns' offense. Beckham then signed with the Rams and caught 44 passes for 537 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games. He scored the first touchdown of the Rams' Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, but left in the second quarter with the knee injury. He worked out for several teams late last season but did not sign with anyone.
With AP
Nick Klopsis is Newsday.com's sports editor. He often can be found studying NFL and college football film for his latest draft breakdown.
More Jets
