Odell Beckham Jr. agrees to contract with Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams made yet another splash by signing one of the NFL's most recognizable talents.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. agreed to a contract with the Rams on Thursday, a person with knowledge of the move told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been finalized.
Beckham became a free agent on Tuesday when he went unclaimed on waivers. The Cleveland Browns officially parted with the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver after a week in which his father posted a video highlighting the times quarterback Baker Mayfield did not target his son when he was open.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, a friend of Beckham's, wrote "OBJ will show again why he’s special. WR1 #FreeOBJ" on Twitter last week. On Thursday, he expressed his excitement at Beckham joining him in Los Angeles.
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Beckham becomes the latest marquee name that coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead have scooped up in recent years. Last Monday, the Rams landed eight-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Von Miller from the Denver Broncos in a trade. Los Angeles has also engineered moves for quarterback Matthew Stafford and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the latter of whom signaled his approval Thursday at the addition of Beckham.
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In Los Angeles, Beckham joins the league's No. 3 passing offense and will play alongside receivers Cooper Kupp, who leads the NFL with 1,019 receiving yards, and Robert Woods.
Former Browns teammate and ex-Rams safety John Johnson III - who said last week he would have welcomed Beckham back to the team - on Thursday questioned how Beckham would fit with his new offense.
"I just felt like they had a good thing going, like a complete offense," Johnson said in a news conference. "From being in LA, I know the offense runs through Cooper Kupp. Even in the run game, the pass game, the screen game, it kind of runs through Cooper Kupp. And obviously Odell is a big name and he's going to want that attention as well, so it'll be interesting.
"Coach McVay, he's one of the best doing it. I know he'll find a way to get it done. But just right off the bat, I'm like, I wouldn't really want to go there if I were him."
As part of a settlement the Browns and Beckham finalized Saturday before officially releasing him Monday, they will pay him $4.25 million in addition to what he'll make from the Rams. Beckham passing through waivers unclaimed Tuesday saved the Browns $3 million.
In 29 games with the Browns, Beckham totaled 114 catches for 1,586 yards and seven touchdowns. He also recorded eight carries for 96 yards and a touchdown.
In six games this season in his return from ACL surgery in November 2020, Beckham caught 17 passes for 232 yards and no scores and rushed twice for 14 yards.
Contributing: Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal
