Source: Beckham to join Ravens for 1 year, $15M

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens made their boldest move of the offseason — and delivered perhaps their strongest message to disgruntled quarterback Lamar Jackson — by reaching a one-year agreement with three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Sunday.

The deal is worth up to $18 million and includes $15 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Ravens had been in contact with Beckham since last year and met with him at the annual league meeting two weeks ago. Baltimore then struck a deal a day before Beckham was scheduled to visit the New York Jets.

Beckham, 30, broke the news Sunday night on Instagram.

The addition of Beckham comes a month after Jackson requested a trade from the Ravens. Baltimore has since placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on Jackson, but no team has yet to publicly pursue him.

The signing was well-received by Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who once had an on-field altercation with Beckham.

In 2019, Humphrey pinned down Beckham during a game and appeared to put his hands on Beckham’s throat. Humphrey apologized for his actions after the game and then welcomed Beckham on Sunday with a tweet: “Want to be best friends and win a Super Bowl?? Let’s get it..!”

Want to be best friends and win a Super Bowl?? Let’s get it..! https://t.co/jawPm7dij5

— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) April 10, 2023

Beckham becomes the most decorated player on the NFL’s most unproven wide receiver group. The big question is the health of Beckham, who didn’t play all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee during Super Bowl LVI.

None of the Ravens’ eight wide receivers on the roster (Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, Devin Duvernay, Tylan Wallace, James Proche II, Andy Isabella, Mike Thomas and Shemar Bridges) has ever had a 1,000-yard season. Beckham has registered five of them.

Baltimore has ranked last in the NFL in receiving yards by wideouts in three of the past four seasons (2019, 2020 and 2022).

The Ravens have enjoyed success in adding wide receivers age 30 and over, from Derrick Mason to Anquan Boldin to Steve Smith Sr. Baltimore also has missed on older wideouts with Jeremy Maclin, Michael Crabtree and Sammy Watkins.

Baltimore has had to rely on free agency to bolster this position despite drafting a wide receiver in the first round in 2019 (Marquise “Hollywood” Brown) and 2021 (Bateman). The Ravens are the only franchise not to draft a Pro Bowl wide receiver.

Beckham made free agent visits with the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants in December but did not reach a deal.

Before the knee injury, he displayed with the Los Angeles Rams during their championship season that he can still be an impact player after he had become a forgotten part of the Cleveland Browns‘ offense.

Beckham joined the Rams in November of the 2021 season after being released by the Browns.

He caught five touchdowns over eight regular-season games with the Rams and two more in four postseason contests. Combined, he had 48 receptions for 593 yards in 12 games in a Rams uniform.

Before he was released by Cleveland, Beckham had 17 receptions for 232 yards and no touchdowns in six games for the Browns.

The three-time Pro Bowl selection had 1,035 receiving yards in 2019, his first season with Cleveland, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2020. He has passed the 1,000-yard receiving mark five times in his career.

The Giants selected Beckham 12th overall in the 2014 NFL draft. He went on to be named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2014 and quickly became a star for the Giants, surpassing 1,300 yards receiving in each of his first three seasons. He signed a five-year deal with the Giants worth up to $98.5 million in August 2018 but was traded the next offseason to the Browns.