The Ravens held newly signed wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.‘s introductory press conference today, in which Beckham spoke for nearly 40 minutes on what brought him to Baltimore, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. During Beckham’s introduction to Charm City, the media even got a short update on the situation surrounding quarterback Lamar Jackson from both Beckham and general manager Eric DeCosta. 
The biggest headline from Beckham pertained to the former MVP as Beckham confirmed that he had received no assurances that Jackson would be back at quarterback. Beckham told reporters that “the goal was to come (to Baltimore) and have that possibility to play with (Jackson).” He said he would let DeCosta take care of business but made sure to stare straight down the cameras and say, “Lamar, if you’re watching, I would love to get to work with you.”
Beckham spoke to the other factors that lured him to Baltimore, citing team owner Steve Bisciotti as having played a big role. Bisciotti reportedly reached out to Beckham and said all the right things. Between Bisciotti, his former offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and some recruitment from Jackson and other players, Beckham claims it wasn’t money that drew him to the Ravens but a true belief from both parties that he was a piece that could help them win.
Lastly, Beckham discussed perhaps the biggest item of concern for the upcoming season: his health. After sitting out all of the 2022 season due to his ACL injuries, Beckham was hesitant to commit to attending organized team activities this offseason, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports. He minimized the importance of OTAs, indicating that his main focus was returning to the field on Sundays.
Pertaining to Beckham’s performance on Sundays, we finally have some details on the $3MM of incentives in his new deal. According to Florio, Beckham can earn an extra $1MM for each of three categories: receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. For receptions, the incentive progresses as follows: $250,000 for 30 receptions, $500,000 for 40, $750,000 for 50, and $1MM for 60. For receiving yards, the incentive progresses as follows: $250,000 for 250 yards, $500,000 for 500, $750,000 for 750, and $1MM for 1,000. For receiving touchdowns, the incentive progresses as follows: $250,000 for three touchdowns, $500,000 for five, $750,000 for seven, and $1MM if he catches nine scores or leads the team in receiving touchdowns.
We got some comments from DeCosta, as well, in the press conference today. The fifth-year general manager explained that the team had been in talks with Beckham since last October. The team sent assistant wide receivers coach Keith Williams to Beckham’s workout in March and talked to Beckham at the owners’ meetings in Arizona.
“This was the guy that we felt could help take us to the next level,” DeCosta told the media. “We’ve had lots of players come back from this type of injury and flourish over time.” He continued, “We went into it knowing we were the underdogs (to the Jets), and…sometimes the underdog wins.”
In reference to Jackson, DeCosta claimed that he hadn’t spoken with the quarterback since signing Beckham but has communicated with Jackson since his trade request and franchise tagging, declining to relay any details.
“Lamar’s in our plans; we love Lamar,” DeCosta said. “Our feelings about Lamar have not changed one bit since the end of the season. We’re hopeful still that we’ll get a long-term deal done. He’s the right player for this team to lead us to where we want to be. I think the locker room knows that, the organization knows that. I think the fan base knows that. So it’s ongoing. But I can’t think of a situation where we wouldn’t think that our best team is with Lamar Jackson on the team in September.”
Even past Jackson’s participation in the recruitment of Beckham to Baltimore, Jackson and Beckham further commingled after the Ravens signed Beckham on Sunday night. The two went out to dinner together in Miami before being seen at a club later that night. Many viewed Beckham’s addition to the team as a positive step towards Jackson’s return to the Ravens. While that hasn’t been guaranteed, Beckham sure hopes he has Jackson throwing passes to him in 2023.