Odell Beckham Jr. would have retired if not for the Ravens pitch

New Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has revealed that he "thought it was over" following his latest injury in Super Bowl LVI when he was still playing for the Los Angeles Rams.

Beckham Jr. spoke to Dan Pompei of The Athletic, acknowledging that had it not been for the Baltimore Ravens' offer this offseason, he would have retired from playing American football for good.

"If I’m honest, I was resistant,” OBJ said in relation to joining the Ravens. "There were other places I wanted to go. I wasn’t necessarily a Ravens fan because the Ravens always whipped my ass," he revealed.

The Ravens offered Beckham a fully guaranteed one-year, $15 million deal ahead of the NFL Draft and with QB Lamar Jackson still fighting for a hefty extension. Beckham took the leap of faith, and he's now about to reap the rewards.

At the end of the day, though, Beckham signed with Baltimore after accepting that all he wanted at that point was "to feel like I am wanted," which Baltimore's owner Steve Bisciotti surely made sure of making clear to the veteran receiver and former Super Bowl champion.

"[Bisciotti] made me feel like somebody wants me to be here (in Baltimore), wants me to be great, wants me to be a part of this team and this organization. And at this point in my life, that’s everything I need — is to be wanted — and that’s pretty much the story for me."

- Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore Ravens

Beckham talked to HC John Harbaugh in the GM meetings held in Arizona earlier this offseason, but he revealed that he received offers or at least was approached by "the Chiefs, Cowboys, Giants, and Bills," according to Pompei's article.

After hearing those pitches, Beckham had nearly decided that he was about to sit the season out. Ultimately, though, and with the New York Jets having joined the sweepstakes to land him, he opted for the Ravens' offer instead of others.

Pompei mentions in his piece that "there were incentive-heavy offers and a three-year offer for a lower-than-he-wanted average," all of them ditched by OBJ.

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