The Baltimore Ravens appeared to have all the pieces in place to make a run for the Super Bowl in 2023 and Odell Beckham Jr. was part of that roster.
Unfortunately, the Ravens were knocked off by the Kansas City Chiefs and the juggernaut that is Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship game and their season ended prematurely.
The veteran WR who generated 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns, played 14 regular season games this past season after missing the entire 2022 campaign. The 31-year-old said his biggest accomplishment was showing he still has it.
The former Giants and Browns WR, who signed with the Rams late in 2021 and helped them win a Super Bowl inked a one-year, $15 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens prior to 2023.
He sat out the 2022 season while continuing to rehab from a second ACL injury suffered during the Super Bowl two seasons prior in the Rams win over the Bengals in Los Angeles.
The deal included up to $3 million in incentives. Beckham earned $1 million of those incentives. He got $250,000 for catching at least 30 passes. He got another $500,000 yards for gaining at least 500 yards. And he got another $250,000 for scoring three touchdowns.
Odell Beckham Jr. started the season off slow, missing games in Weeks 3 and 4 after returning from the knee injury suffered in Super Bowl LVI. He seemed to hit his stride in the middle of the campaign, including generating 90-plus yards twice in three weeks (11, 13). However, instead of continuing to rise, that run ended up a blip on the radar.
OBJ played sparingly in the Ravens’ Divisional Round blowout of Houston, earning just 20 snaps despite getting the start and being targeted once (one catch, 12 yards). Sunday, he played more with Baltimore in catchup mode against K.C., generating three catches on six targets for 22 yards.
With the emergence of rookie WR Zay Flowers and Beckham not contributing to Baltimore’s offense in a significant way, the veteran wideout now enters free agency with plenty of questions surrounding his future.
Odell Beckham Jr. Wants To Keep Playing In The NFL, Whether It’s For The Baltimore Ravens Or Another Team
Beckham didn’t sound like a player who is contemplating potential retirement following the team’s loss to the Chiefs. While there may be doubts about the potential market for the wide receiver — who was once regarded as the top player at his position in the NFlL — Beckham believes he’s shown he can still contribute in a major way.
“To me, if there is anything I felt about myself — regardless of anybody’s opinion or anything like that — is that I know that I can still play football, and I know that I still have [stuff] in the tank,” Beckham said on Sunday, via the team’s official website.
“It’s just unfortunate — the way that it went today — because, to me, it’s so much bigger than one person in this room; it was [about] just being able to have that moment with these guys you’ve worked so hard with. So, for me, as far as my future, [I’ll] just take a step back, breathe for a second, pick [my] chin up, just know that life goes on, and we’ll figure out what’s next after that.”
It might make sense for the Baltimore Ravens to ink Odell Beckham Jr. on a team-friendly deal as he’s clearly expressed how much he loves playing for the organization, despite a diminished role.
He was asked about his time in Baltimore and if he would want to return in 2024.
“I don’t know the political answer to that question, but I’ve enjoyed every single moment,” OBJ said.
He added: “I absolutely love this place. This felt like a home. It felt amazing for me. The city of Baltimore … I wanted it for the city of Baltimore more than anything. I wanted them to be able to have that moment [when] we’re all standing on the field, and The Bank is rocking, but just came up short.”
