Ravens to Sign WR Odell Beckham Jr.

After a long free agent process, Odell Beckham Jr. has found his new home. The three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver announced via Instagram on Sunday night that he’ll be joining the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens confirmed that they have reached an agreement in principle with Beckham. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, OBJ and the Ravens reached agreement on a one-year deal worth up to $18 million.

Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports that Beckham’s deal contains a $13.835 million signing bonus with a $1.165 million base salary and $3 million in reachable incentives, so he’ll make at least $15 million and as much as $18 million on the deal negotiated by agent Zeke Sandhu. The Ravens confirmed that they have reached an agreement in principle with Beckham.

Beckham is a huge signing for the Ravens, as Baltimore had one of the worst receiving corps in the league last year, ranking last in the NFL in receiving yards. Beckham was scheduled to meet with the New York Jets on Monday, but the Ravens were ultra committed to getting a deal done. According to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has been in frequent communication with Beckham, pitching him on the idea of coming to Baltimore, the support he would have with the team and the necessity of helping to square things with Lamar Jackson as well.

Beckham joins wide receiver Rashod Bateman, tight end Mark Andrews and running back J.K. Dobbins as key weapons in the Ravens’ offense. However, the big question is whether Jackson will be at quarterback due to an ongoing contract dispute. It appears that Jackson and Beckham are on the same page though, as Jackson posted a screenshot of him FaceTiming with OBJ on Instagram on Sunday night. According to Jordan Schultz of The Score, Jackson and Beckham have had multiple conversations during OBJ’s free agency about teaming up together and winning a Super Bowl with the Ravens.

Beckham, 30, hasn’t played since tearing his ACL with the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl after the 2021 season. He missed the entire 2022 season while rehabbing the injury. His deal with the Ravens is the largest per year average contract ($15 million) given to a wide receiver since Jackson became the starting quarterback in 2019, beating out Willie Snead’s $6 million average by a great margin. The $15 million guaranteed is also more than any other free agent wide receiver this offseason.

This will be Beckham’s second go-around in the AFC North, as he played with the Cleveland Browns from 2019 to midway through the 2021 season before being traded to Los Angeles. In his eight-year career, Beckham has recorded 531 receptions for 7,367 yards (13.9 average) and 56 touchdowns. Along with being a three-time Pro Bowler, Beckham’s been named second-team All-Pro twice (2015, 2016). Beckham is 1-4 in his career against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the lone win coming in Week 10 of the 2019 season on Thursday Night Football in Cleveland.