Rams GM Les Snead Discusses OBJ, Aaron Donald
The Rams have reshuffled their receivers depth chart this offseason, but that hasn’t changed their views on Odell Beckham Jr.. Rams general manager Les Snead told reporters today that the team would still like OBJ back in Los Angeles for the 2022 campaign.
[RELATED: Latest On Rams’ Pending Free Agents]
“He’s someone that we definitely want back,” Snead said (via AP’s Greg Beacham on Twitter). “A little bit more complex situation based on the injury. We envision it being similar but different circumstances to last year. When Odell is ready to play, we’d appreciate him being part of (the Rams).”
The Rams had previously made it clear that they wanted OBJ back, and the player also expressed interest in returning to the team. As a result, a new contract was “expected to happen,” but nothing has materialized in two weeks. Another report indicated that the Rams were staying flexible with respect to contract offers, so perhaps a deal is only a matter of time.
OBJ joined the Rams midseason and ended up having a standout performance for his new team, posting 48 catches for 593 yards and seven touchdowns between the regular season and playoffs before a knee injury knocked him out of the Super Bowl. Since the season ended, the Rams added Allen Robinson to their squad while shipping out veteran Robert Woods.
Meanwhile, Snead acknowledged that extension talks with Aaron Donald are “still in progress,” per Michael J. Duarte on Twitter. The defensive tackle waged a holdout in 2017 and later landed a then-record-breaking extension. Naturally, Donald’s $22.5MM-per-year deal has since been dwarfed. Donald’s age and the state of the market makes this contract issue understandable, and it may have factored into the surprise retirement talk.
Latest On Rams’ Pending Free Agents
If the Rams hope to repeat as Super Bowl champions, they face a number of key decisions in the coming days. They have money still to be shed, but a number of free agents left to re-sign. 
The biggest names amongst said free agents are Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. The former made an impact on the Rams’ defense after being traded for mid-season. He registered five sacks in eight regular season games in L.A., adding another four in the playoffs. The 32-year-old earned himself a hefty payday, regardless of where he ends up.
According to Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic (subscription required), the Rams may be able to keep both in the fold. She writes that the team is “confident” their offer to Miller “will be enough to convince him to stay”. She adds that said proposal is thought to be worth between $14MM and $16MM per year over a span of “perhaps” two years, though that salary figure “doesn’t seem to have a hard ceiling”. The three-time All Pro has expressed an interest in staying, but he also plans to at least test the open market, which could very well include a return to Denver.
As for Beckham, Rodrigue notes that the team is staying flexible with respect to contract offers, though it does seem inevitable he will remain there, as was previously reported. She names center Brian Allen as one more significant pending free agent the Rams could try to find the money to retain.
On the other hand, there are noteworthy players who seemed destined to land deals elsewhere, in no small part as a result of the team’s preference to keep Miller and Beckham. Among those Rodrigue predicts will find new homes is defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day. The 26-year-old played a career-high 69% of snaps this year, notching three sacks. Another is cornerback Darious Williams, whom she reports could land a deal valued at upwards of $10MM per season despite a down year in 2021.
Projected to be more than $20MM over the cap at this point, the Rams clearly have work to do. If all goes according to plan, however, they could still field one of the most talented teams in the NFL next year.
Odell Beckham Jr. Expected To Re-Sign With Rams
Odell Beckham Jr. played a major role in the Rams’ Super Bowl run, leading to a mutual interest between himself and the team for a return to L.A. According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, a new contract is “expected to happen”. 
The news comes after the wideout expressed a desire to remain with the Rams, where he quickly found his form after a messy split with the Browns. He said Los Angeles “feels like home” in large part, no doubt, to his production filling in for the injured Robert Woods. Between the regular season and playoffs, Beckham posted 48 catches for 593 yards and seven touchdowns.
That level of play – cut short by a torn ACL suffered in the Super Bowl – has led to interest from the team’s perspective in a reunion. General manager Les Snead recently stated he would “definitely like” to keep the 29-year-old. Doing so would be tricky from a financial perspective, given the team was slated to be over the cap before the offseason began. An extension for quarterback Matthew Stafford would help open the door to keeping Beckham, though other changes are expected for the defending champions.
If he were to stay, Beckham would join Woods and Cooper Kupp to give L.A. arguably the most talented receiving trio in the league. While questions would linger about Woods and Beckham regarding their recoveries from major injuries, a healthy pass-catching corps of that caliber would give the team a chance to replicate at least the offensive output that helped earn them a title.
Rams Remain Interested In Re-Signing Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. recently underwent surgery to repair his second ACL tear in 15 months. The injury-prone wide receiver is less than two weeks from free agency, but he and the Rams were interested in continuing their partnership before Super Bowl LVI.
The second-quarter injury stands to affect Beckham’s market, considering he tore the ACL in the same knee with Cleveland in 2020. But the Rams remain interested in re-signing him. Les Snead said the team would “definitely like” to have OBJ back, via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue (subscription required). Although the 11th-year GM said adjustments would need to be made at wide receiver due to Beckham and Robert Woods‘ injury recoveries, the team is willing to make it work.
“I really love him, I cherish our relationship that we were able to establish and develop, and I’m hopeful that there will be many more years working together,” Sean McVay said during an interview with CBS Sports’ Adam Schein (audio link). “… I hated to see him go down. I really believe he was in store for going absolutely bananas in the Super Bowl. Our guys delivered, but Odell’s somebody we want to continue to work with.”
Beckham said he would take less to stay in Los Angeles, and the team’s plans for a Matthew Stafford extension would free up some cap space. Of course, Von Miller probably resides as a higher priority due to his dominant playoff performance. Miller has also said he wants to stay in L.A., but the future Hall of Famer will explore free agency before committing to stay with the defending champions.
If Beckham re-signs, the Rams would be poised to deploy a three-wideout set of OBJ, Woods and Cooper Kupp. That trio never played together; Woods suffered an ACL tear days after the Rams signed Beckham in November. Beckham’s price then becomes interesting due to Woods being tied to a $16.25MM-per-year deal; Kupp’s $15.75MM-AAV pact now looks extraordinarily team-friendly. Kupp’s deal might become an issue either this year or next, given his historic 2021 season.
The Rams are more than $20MM over the projected 2022 cap. Once they move under, the perennial star-seeking team figures to say goodbye to more role players. Starting O-linemen Austin Corbett and Brian Allen are set for free agency, as is swing tackle Joe Noteboom. No. 2 cornerback Darious Williams is set to hit the market as well.
Latest On WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Recent Super Bowl LVI champion Odell Beckham Jr. is facing free agency this offseason. Beckham has expressed his desire to remain in Los Angeles and the Rams let it be known that the feeling was mutual.
Unfortunately, Beckham suffered a torn ACL in the Rams’ Super Bowl victory. The knee injured was the same one Beckham injured in the 2020 season. The re-injury combined with the late timing of the injury should lead to Beckham missing time in the 2022 NFL season.
Normally, a player with an expiring contract like Beckham’s would be out of luck, as they wouldn’t be eligible for injury protection. But, due to pending arbitration between the league and the union, Beckham may end up qualifying for the protection.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement provides injury protection for players with non-guaranteed salaries in the season after they suffer an injury that prevents them from playing. When Beckham was injured, although he was technically headed to free agency, he had future years on his contract.
The purpose of the future years was to spread out Beckham’s cap hit. He signed a fully guaranteed one-year deal for $1.25MM. The contract would be paid out as a base salary in 2021 of $750,000 with a $500,000 signing bonus. The signing bonus was structured to pay out $100,000 annually over the next five years. The first $100,000 would count against the Rams’ 2021 cap along with the base salary. The remaining $400,000 would count against the Rams’ 2022 cap space.
The arbitration mentioned above is over whether or not those voided years in Beckham’s contract could make him eligible for the CBA’s injury protection. The injury protection would entitle Beckham to a salary up to $2MM. In the voided contract, Beckham’s base salary for 2022 is $1.12MM, meaning that, if the arbitration rules in favor of Beckham, Beckham will receive the entirety of that amount.
The good news is that, even if the arbitration rules against him, Beckham’s 2021 contract had $3MM worth of team-based incentives built in, and, en route to winning the Super Bowl, Beckham cashed in on every single incentive.
Still, this all is hypothetical. In theory, knowing the Rams would like to keep Beckham in LA, and acknowledging the crucial role he played in adding the Lombardi to their trophy room, the Rams will give Beckham a deal indicative of his contributions, despite not being legally obligated to do so.
Odell Beckham Jr. Suffered Torn ACL In Super Bowl
When Odell Beckham Jr. exited the Super Bowl with an apparent knee injury, it may have been the last time in a while he gets seen on an NFL field. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, he suffered a torn ACL in the game (Twitter link). 
[Related: Rams Expect To Re-sign Beckham]
The ACL tear is in his left knee, the one that suffered the same fate in the middle of the 2020 season. It is devastating news, given the success he was having not only in the Super Bowl, but his time with the Rams as a whole. After a messy divorce from the Browns, Beckham seemed to have found a home in L.A. as a complimentary piece to the Rams’ passing attack.
After signing with the Rams in November, the 29-year-old posted five touchdowns in eight regular season games with his new franchise. Then, he settled in during the postseason, and seemed to be on his way to a big night on Sunday with two catches for 52 yards and one touchdown before halftime. Those numbers brought his yards per catch average up to 13.7 for the playoffs, which is nearly on par with his average during his heyday with the Giants.
In the days leading up to the big game, Beckham expressed a desire to stay with the Rams. For that to be possible, he would need to take a discount, as the team is already scheduled to be $14MM over the cap before signing new deals with the likes of Beckham or fellow mid-season acquisition and close friend Von Miller.
Much of what both sides do now may depend on the health of Robert Woods, who himself suffered a torn ACL this season. If both he and Beckham are able to fully recover, and the latter does indeed stay in L.A., they would form quite the receiving trio alongside Cooper Kupp. Today’s news, though, may cast doubt on the chances of that happening.
Rams Expect To Re-Sign WR Beckham
Earlier today before Super LVI began, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported that the Rams are extremely optimistic about bringing wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. back on a new deal next season. If the Rams pull out a Super Bowl victory tonight, Beckham will max out the $3MM incentives attached to his current contract, but Los Angeles is adamant that it won’t be his last check from them.
Beckham was brought in on a one-year free agent deal after a bit of a forced release from the Browns. The Rams were happy to have Odell come in to fill the gap left on the depth chart by a season-ending injury to Robert Woods. Since joining the Rams, Beckham has seen a resurgence to his career as his five regular season touchdowns in eight games with Los Angeles are the most in a season for him since he played for the Giants.
Sean McVay and team brass see him as an ideal fit. Alongside 2021 Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp and big-play receiver Van Jefferson, Beckham offers impact, explosiveness, and plenty of touchdowns. Once Woods rejoins the corps, opposing defensive backs will have their work cut out for them.
As of the writing of this post, Beckham is currently sitting on the sideline with an injury, watching the Rams try to make a comeback and win the Lombardi Trophy. The three-time Pro Bowler exited the game after a non-contact injury left him clutching his left knee, the same knee in which he tore his ACL in 2020.
The hope is that this injury will have no effect on today’s report. Hopefully, whatever has befallen Beckham tonight allows him to return to the field next season, and his marriage to the Rams can remain on schedule.
Odell Beckham Jr. Wants To Stay With Rams
Odell Beckham Jr. has a rough idea of what he wants to do next season. As he gets set for the Super Bowl, the star wide receiver says he’s hoping to remain with the Rams. 
[RELATED: OBJ Had Interest In Patriots, Saints]
“This place, it feels good in my heart,” OBJ said (Twitter link via Nick Shook of NFL.com). “It feels like a home.”
Beckham even went so far as to say that he would take a little less to stay in Los Angeles. “Yeah, of course,” Beckham said when asked whether he’d be open to a hometown discount.
Beckham, still only 29, has posted 19 grabs for 236 yards and a touchdown so far in the playoffs. And, while his 27/305 showing in the second half of the regular season wasn’t in line with his best work, he did register five TDs in his eight regular season games for the Rams. Some say that Beckham has been a diva in the past but, this year, he’s embraced his role as the No. 2 WR alongside Cooper Kupp (in Robert Woods’ stead).
The Rams surely feel the same way, but they’ll have to work some cap magic in order to keep OBJ in the fold. As of this writing, they’re projected to be roughly $14MM over the limit in March. Fortunately for the Rams, Beckham seems willing to meet them somewhere in the middle.
Odell Beckham Jr. Nearly Signed With Patriots, Saints
Odell Beckham Jr. is squarely focused on the upcoming Super Bowl with the Rams, but he was very close to ending up elsewhere when he was briefly a free agent. According to a pair of tweets from PFF’s Doug Kyed, the wideout nearly joined the Patriots, as well as the Saints, after he cleared waivers earlier this season.
The 29-year-old’s time in Cleveland came to an end in November, after increasing tensions with other members of the team, in particular quarterback Baker Mayfield, came to a boiling point. After a disappointing two-and-a-half-year stint with the Browns, he ultimately signed with the Rams in an attempt to go on a championship run, filling in admirably for the injured Robert Woods along the way. His time in LA. has been so successful to this point that the team wants to keep him there beyond this season.
However, things very nearly turned out much differently for Beckham. According to Kyed, he was “close” to signing in New England after speaking with Bill Belichick. He adds that Beckham believes the fit would have been “ideal” a few years earlier, when Tom Brady was still with the Pats.
Another receiver-need team was the Saints, with whom Beckham came “very close” to signing. He added, “It just didn’t feel like the right time. Right place, wrong time”. In large part due to injuries to new starting QB Jameis Winston and top WR Michael Thomas, the Saints finished dead last in the league in passing yards per game in 2012 with 202.2.
Ultimately, Beckham clearly made the right choice up to this point. After the end of the season, though, the Patriots and Saints may represent destinations he is familiar with, not to mention ones that could benefit from the caliber of play he has put forth with the Rams.
Rams Want To Re-Sign Von Miller, OBJ
The Rams’ splashy midseason acquisitions came through to help them to Super Bowl LVI, and the team in perpetual win-now mode wants both Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. back for next season.
The NFC champions are interested in extending both Beckham and Miller, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Both standouts are set to be free agents in March. Neither has hit the market to start a league year previously, though Beckham was available after his in-season Browns exit.
Projected to be more than $14MM over the cap for 2022, the Rams have not let financial limitations interfere with big-ticket moves. They have been forced to let role players walk in free agency annually, however. But the team paid up to keep Leonard Floyd last March, doing so after eating a then-record dead-money sum as a result of the Jared Goff trade. Interest in retaining Miller and OBJ also comes as Matthew Stafford enters the final year of his Lions-constructed contract. An extension that bumps Stafford toward the top of the quarterback market would stand to free up money in the short term.
Miller said recently, via SI.com’s Greg Bishop, he wants to stay with the Rams. Prior to the former Super Bowl MVP playing a game with his new team, the sides discussed extension parameters. No such talks with Beckham are known to have taken place. Both players have done well to help push the Rams back to the Super Bowl. The NFC championship doubled as Beckham’s first 100-yard game since 2019, while Miller registered seven sacks from Week 15 through the Rams’ divisional-round win in Tampa.
Beckham, 29, might have a greater interest in hitting the market, considering his unconventional November free agency was not centered around money. More money will be available come March, with the cap spiking and additional teams likely interested. The Rams also have Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods tied to lucrative extensions, and the former’s dominance this season makes his $15.75MM-per-year deal look like a bargain for the Rams. This stands to complicate Beckham staying in Los Angeles. Miller, 33 in March, has never been a free agent. He is finishing up his six-year, $114.1MM extension. Despite his advancing age, the future Hall of Famer would command considerable interest on the market.