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Odell Beckham Jr. has been one of the best available free agent wide receivers since leaving the Los Angeles Rams following the 2021 NFL season. While he helped his former team win a Super Bowl ring, he suffered a devastating knee injury in the process. He recovered during most of the 2022 season before signing a contract with the Baltimore Ravens during the 2023 offseason.
The Ravens convinced Odell Beckham Jr. to join them for the upcoming season by giving him a one-year contract worth up to $18 million. This puts him among the 12 highest-paid wide receivers in the entire league. The franchise has been desperate to make upgrades to their offensive weapons and has done so aggressively with the veteran addition.
Colin Cowherd recently appeared on "The Volume" with a new podcast episode to discuss why he thinks the Ravens "wildly overpaid" to acquire Beckham:
"OBJ loves OBJ. He's dramatic, he loves the attention, and now you just overpaid him by about half. ... OBJ is brittle, he's descending as a talent, you're going to get drama. I would love to have him as a two or a three receiver, but if you're paying someone 15 large per year on that team, that's as a number one.
"I think they wildly overpaid for him .. Happy for OBJ. The league is always more fun when he's in it, but that number is a crazy number. It's double what the people I know in the league think he's worth. A declining, brittle wide receiver."
Odell Beckham Jr. hasn't exceeded 1,000 yards since 2019 with the Cleveland Browns, while also failing to eclipse 80 receptions since 2016 with the New York Giants. The Ravens are paying him to be the true No. 1 wide receiver option, but his production in recent years hasn't exactly matched that.
This ambitious move by the Ravens may be an attempt to attract Lamar Jackson to sign a new contract with the team. They have often been criticized for failing to surround him with legitimate options in the passing game.
Does signing Odell Beckham Jr. mean the Ravens are also extending Lamar Jackson?
Many reports have indicated that Lamar Jackson and Odell Beckham Jr. engaged in conversations about potentially teaming up for the 2023 NFL season. They were also spotted partying together after the new contract became official. While it's unlikely Beckham would sign with the Ravens unless he knows what their quarterback situation is, that doesn't guarantee Jackson will be returning.
The Ravens placed their non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson during the offseason, but he has yet to officially sign it. Adding Beckham may potentially motivate him to return to Baltimore. He continues to seek a long-term contract extension, but has struggled to agree on the details with the Ravens. While this is likely a step in the right direction for the two sides, they still have some work to do prior to the 2023 NFL season.
