The Baltimore Ravens have injected a lot of energy into their receiving group by signing the flamboyant Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham has agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $18 million, with $15 million guaranteed, a source told the AP. This person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not yet been officially signed.
Beckham, 30, sat out last season following anterior cruciate ligament surgery in his knee. He now joins a team whose situation at quarterback remains unclear. The Ravens tagged Lamar Jackson as a franchise player, but he publicly asked to be traded.
Even with Jackson, the Ravens’ aerial game has been limited by a lack of receiver production. Rashod Bateman only played six games last season, and besides Mark Andrews, no Baltimore player had more than 500 passing yards.
Beckham has five 1,000-yard seasons on the clock, but none since 2019, with Cleveland. In his final season on the court, in 2021, he caught 44 passes for 537 yards and 5 touchdowns in 14 games for the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams.
He scored a touchdown in Los Angeles’ Super Bowl victory that season, but he also injured his knee in that game.
Regardless of the quarterback in place, when Beckham is at his best, he is a player capable of dazzling. Since making his debut with the New York Giants in 2014, he’s had 531 catches for 7,367 yards and 56 touchdowns.
Beckham appeared in the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons. He is one of three players in NFL history – along with Justin Jefferson and Michael Thomas – to have 80 receptions and 1,000 passing yards in each of his first three seasons.