The Los Angeles Rams made one of the more surprising moves of the season on Thursday, agreeing to terms with free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. shortly after his release from the Cleveland Browns. The two parties agreed on a one-year deal, even further signaling that the Rams are all-in on a Super Bowl run.
There are some uncertainties surrounding Beckham, as he has not been a good personality fit with either of his previous two franchises. However, his talent is undeniable, as he is only a couple of years removed from being one of the best receivers in all of football.
Based on the contract he signed, he is clearly betting on himself to fit well within the team’s offense, and betting on the team to win plenty of games. The incentive-laden deal was revealed, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:
The #Rams gave WR Odell Beckham Jr a 1-year deal worth up to $4.25M, source said.
Details:
— $500K signing bonus
— $750K for the rest of the season
— Another $3M available in team-based incentives for how they finish the regular season and the postseason.— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 12, 2021
According to this report, only $1.25 million of Beckham’s contract is fully guaranteed, but the assumption is that he would meet some of the personal and team-based incentives to bring that number up. The Rams also have a chance to receive a compensatory draft pick should Beckham go somewhere else in free agency.
Bringing in Beckham is undoubtedly a high reward move. In every season where he’s played at least 10 games, he’s had 1000 receiving yards. During his first three seasons with the New York Giants, he averaged just under 96 receiving yards per game.
The question remains whether or not this is a high-risk move. Things did not work for Beckham with the Browns, and we’ll know shortly if that was because of Beckham or because of the Browns. The talented wide receiver has made it known — through his family — that Browns QB Baker Mayfield may have been part of the issue.
He won’t have those same issues with Matthew Stafford, who is currently an early MVP candidate if he can bounce back from a difficult game against the Tennessee Titans.
Stafford takes responsibility for turnovers in loss
Part of why the Rams lost in such bad fashion to the Titans was two interceptions thrown by Stafford. After the game, he took responsibility for the turnovers, saying that spotting the opposing team 14 points is not a winning formula.
