The Baltimore Ravens have offered star free agent Odell Beckham Jr a contract as the franchise look to appease wantaway quarterback Lamar Jackson.
At the NFL Annual League Meeting in Phoenix last week, the Ravens met with Beckham Jr. and - according to ESPN - have offered him a deal. The three-time Pro Bowl receiver hasn’t played in the NFL since tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI, which caused him to miss the entire 2022 season.
He caught a touchdown in that game, helping the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Cincinnati Bengals and lift the Lombardi Trophy. Beckham hosted a workout in Arizona recently, with 12 teams attending including the New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns and Rams.
The workout was reportedly a major success but he is yet to sign with a franchise, which could change soon following the Ravens’ offer. The terms of the deal are currently unclear, although Beckham Jr recently tweeted that while he wasn’t asking for $20million a year, $4m would be too low - but he praised the conversation with the Ravens.
“The love was there, good meeting,” Beckham Jr. told CBS Sports about his meeting with Baltimore. “[Lot of] people and teams I bumped into.”
Jackson - whose future has been one of the biggest storylines across the offseason - announced he had requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens earlier this month on 2 March. The Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the 26-year-old five days later, allowing teams to negotiate with Jackson while he and the team have until 17 July to agree a multi-year extension.
Other NFL franchises may sign the former MVP to an offer sheet and Baltimore would have five days to match it or receive two first round picks as compensation. However, Baltimore could be moving please their quarterback by adding a star weapon in the form of Beckham Jr.
Aside from the saga concerning Jackson, the Ravens have enjoyed a fairly quiet offseason, signing wideout Nelson Agholor to a one-year deal worth $3.3m. The offer to Beckham Jr. may be more expensive than that, but the franchise only have $6.1m remaining in cap space.
While he needs to re-establish himself after a year off, the former New York Giants star will almost certainly receive the right offer in the next few weeks. He has been linked with a move to the New York Jets as well as the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Ravens.
Beckham Jr. could return to New York with the Jets, as the AFC East franchise could sign the receiver to go with their pending trade for four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. The Jets have added former Green Bay wideout Allen Lazard and ex Kansas City Chiefs star Mecole Hardman in free agency to join Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis in their receiver room, but Beckham’s arrival would certainly make waves.
