Odell Beckham Jr. - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On WR Odell Beckham Jr.

February 20th, 2022 at 9:39pm CST by Ely Allen

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

February 14th, 2022 at 2:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

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).

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

February 13th, 2022 at 8:43pm CST by Ely Allen

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

February 11th, 2022 at 9:10pm CST by Zachary Links

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.

“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

February 8th, 2022 at 1:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

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

February 1st, 2022 at 7:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

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.

Rams’ OBJ Tests Positive For COVID-19

December 14th, 2021 at 2:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Odell Beckham Jr. has tested positive for COVID-19, according to veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson (Twitter link). The wide receiver will be placed on the Rams’ COVID-19 list, which may prevent him from playing the Seahawks on Sunday.

OBJ is just the latest in a slew of positive cases across the NFL. On Monday, an estimated 37 players were found to have COVID-19. Today, league sources are expecting upwards of 25 more positive tests (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).

Unlike Chris Jones and Rashawn Slater, Beckham has time to clear COVID-19 protocols, pending his vaccination status and forthcoming test results. Beckham, 29, has appeared in four games since joining the Rams. So far, he’s got 15 catches for 204 yards and three touchdowns with his new team. Between that and his 17/232 line from the Browns, he’s registered 32 catches for 436 yards, and three scores so far this year. It’s all a far cry from his best work, but the Rams are hoping to see the old OBJ down the stretch.

Steelers Made Late Push For OBJ

November 15th, 2021 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to debut for the Rams in a matter of hours. But, minutes before he signed with Los Angeles, the Steelers made a late entry into the OBJ sweepstakes, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

[RELATED: Rams Want To Extend OBJ]

However, by that point, the wide receiver had already narrowed down his list. The Chiefs, Packers, Patriots, Seahawks, and Saints were also in the mix, but the Beckham saw the Rams as the best fit.

“It just feels right about the [Rams] offense,” Beckham said. “I hope to find a groove and help this team find ways to win.”

Saints head coach Sean Payton personally tried to court the former LSU standout, but the Saints weren’t sure if he was serious about coming to New Orleans (Twitter link via Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune). Like most of the other teams involved, it’s believed that the Saints pitched him on a ~$1MM base salary for 2021, plus incentives. The Packers were something of an exception, according to RapSheet, offering only the veteran’s minimum.

With incentives, Beckham can make up to $3MM on his Rams deal this year. After that, he’ll be eligible for free agency, giving all of his previous suitors another chance to land him. Meanwhile, the Rams are already working to keep him from the open market.

Contract Details: Beckham, Bitonio, Gano

November 14th, 2021 at 8:58am CST by Rory Parks

Rounding up a few contract details from this past week:

Odell Beckham, WR (Rams): One year, $1.25MM, with up to $3MM in team-based incentives. Incentive package is as follows: $500K if Rams get wildcard win or first-round bye; $750K for divisional round win; $750K for NFC Championship Game win; $500K for Super Bowl appearance, or $1MM for Super Bowl win. OBJ would have to play at least one snap of those postseason contests to earn the incentive (Twitter links via Albert Breer of SI.com). None of the $4.25MM paid by Browns is offset, so Beckham earns that full amount in addition to his Rams payouts.
Joel Bitonio, G (Browns): Three years, originally reported as $48MM. Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the total value actually checks in at over $49MM, as Cleveland agreed to pay Bitonio 17th-game checks on his 2020 and 2021 salaries. So Bitonio’s AAV is $16.37MM, which narrowly tops Joe Thuney‘s $16MM pact with the Chiefs and makes him the highest-paid guard on a multi-year contract.
Graham Gano, K (Giants): Agreed to convert ~$514K of base salary into signing bonus, thereby creating ~343K of 2021 cap space (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates).

Rams Hope To Extend Odell Beckham Jr.

November 12th, 2021 at 12:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams have signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal, but this could wind up as a long-term arrangement. The Rams are hopeful that they’ll be able to sign Beckham to an extension, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link), one that would keep him in Los Angeles for 2022 and beyond.

[RELATED: Rams Sign OBJ]

The Rams weren’t viewed as a leading suitor for Beckham, but, as RapSheet notes, they’ve actually had him on the radar for years. Sean McVay & Co. finally got their man this week, following Beckham’s messy divorce from the Browns. Before that, the Chiefs, Patriots, Saints, Seahawks, and Packers were viewed as his most likely destinations.

Beckham is now set to team with Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and youngster Van Jefferson, furnishing the Rams with one of the league’s most dangerous WR groups. Thanks in part to their efforts, Matthew Stafford stands as the NFL’s leading passer with 2,771 yards through the air. Kupp, meanwhile, leads the league in all major WR categories — 74 grabs, 1,019 receiving yards, and ten touchdown catches.

Of course, it won’t be easy to keep all their stars for the long haul, especially since newcomer Von Miller also needs a fresh deal. But, through salary cap magic, they’ve managed to keep much of the band together in recent years.

For now, they’ve got OBJ on a modest one-year deal worth up to $4.25MM. He’s expected to debut on Monday night, when the Rams face the 49ers in San Francisco.