Could there be an end in sight to the Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens standoff? Some have their doubts, still, but Sunday night did a whole lot to calm the nerves of other fans.
Sunday evening, the Ravens and veteran free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. agreed to a 1-year contract, which means Lamar Jackson could potentially have the best wide receiver he's ever played with.
The 30-year-old Beckham did not play all of the 2022 season due to recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Siuper Bowl LVI. Taking his time to get back to full health, Beckham is now ready to go for the 2023 season and had been holding out until he found a team willing to pay the money he desired.
Due to visit the New York Jets on Monday, Beckham chose to sign with Baltimore instead because of the feeling simply being right between the two sides -- oh, and of course the money.
More details on Odell Beckham Jr.‘s one-year deal with the #Ravens:
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 9, 2023
$13.835 million signing bonus
$1.165 million base salary
$3M in reachable incentives
So OBJ will make at least $15 million and as much as $18M on the deal negotiated by agent Zeke Sandhu. https://t.co/z6S8tkjvP1
Odell Beckham Jr.'s contract with the Baltimore Ravens is a sign of desperation from owner Steve Bisciotti and the front office
Beckham's 1-year deal is guaranteed to pay the veteran $15 million in total, and could be worth up to $18 million when all is said and done. While it's a lot of money, it's absolutely worth it if Beckham can stay healthy.
It's also going to be worth every penny if Beckham convinces Lamar Jackson to stay in Baltimore. Could that be one of the main reasons the Ravens chose to give Beckham that type of money?
In short: 100 percent.
In fact, CBS NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that owner Steve Bisciotti believes this contract is going to help convince Jackson to stay in Baltimore, after all. If that's all it took, then let's pack up, sign the new deal and move on.
The only question now becomes, what will that new deal for Jackson look like? He rejected one that would pay him $175 million in guaranteed money, and worth $250 million in total, so what will it take for negotiations to get the point where he accepts a new contract?
Jackson has been rumored to want the same type of money Deshaun Watson got from the Browns last offseason, so we'll see if the Ravens will end up obliging. What we do know is that the money the Ravens are paying a 30-year-old veteran receiver who has now suffered a pair of torn ACLs is, in short, generous -- ah, let's just call it desperate.
Will this be the move which convinces Jackson to stay? Will the Ravens be more willing to budge in contract negotiations? For now, Beckham's arrival looks like one more step toward staving off the divorce.