Although the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, they had to do it mostly without star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who left the game early with a torn left ACL.
Beckham’s NFL journey hasn’t been smooth sailing for most of his time in the league. After a sensational start to his career with the New York Giants, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2019, where he had some success his first season but ultimately struggled to fit in and tore his left ACL in 2020.
After he was released by the Browns midway through the 2021 season, the Rams signed him and he quickly became an important piece for the offense, especially once Robert Woods tore his ACL. L.A. presented Beckham with a winning culture that he had never been a part of as he helped them reach the Super Bowl for the second time in three years and the first time in his career.
After Beckham tore his ACL with 3:54 left in the second half, he was seen emotional on the sideline and he later said it was heartbreaking for him in a quote tweet of a video of the injury and reactions to it:
Heartbreaker. Can’t even lie to y’all https://t.co/XLNhea4vEu
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) February 21, 2022
Along with his teammates expressing concern in the video, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was also worried for Beckham. Although they never played together, Burrow and Beckham both were stars at LSU and according to Burrow, Beckham would often call him after an LSU victory.
Beckham will enter free agency for the second time in his career this offseason but it seems he prefers to stay with the Rams. He recently said he is willing to sacrifice salary to stay in L.A., although he will likely need to spend the majority of the 2022 season rehabbing his ACL.
Beckham was ‘very close’ to signing with Patriots
When Odell Beckham Jr. was released from the Browns in November, he immediately became a highly coveted free agent.
Along with the Rams, the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers all showed interest in signing the talented wide receiver.
Beckham was focused on joining a contender and at one point the Patriots were considered the favorite to sign him before he ultimately chose the Rams.
While there were a lot of conflicting reports about his next destination, Beckham recently revealed he was incredibly close to making Foxboro his new home.
