Odell Beckham Jr. concluded his lengthy free agency by joining the Baltimore Ravens in April. The wide receiver didn’t always view them as his preferred landing spot.
In an interview with The Athletic’s Dan Pompei, Beckham admitted he had his eyes elsewhere before signing a one-year, $15 million deal with Baltimore.
“If I’m honest, I was resistant,” Beckham said. “There were other places I wanted to go. I wasn’t necessarily a Ravens fan because the Ravens always whipped my ass.”
While Beckham didn’t name any other teams, the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Buffalo Bills showed interest dating back to the 2022 season. The New York Jets also joined the mix as a prominent contender this offseason.
According to Pompei, Beckham met with Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, executive vice president Ozzie Newsome, and head coach John Harbaugh during the NFL owners’ meeting. They discussed his goals and fatherhood more than football and his recovery from a torn ACL.
Beckham said he prayed on the decision, which led him to feel a gut intuition that Baltimore was “the right path.”
The Ravens ultimately made Beckham the best offer on a short-term basis. While the 30-year-old could bolster his market value with a successful 2023 comeback, Beckham expressed some uncertainty about his future.
“I’m thinking like this is my last year,” Beckham says. “I’m going to give it my all this year. And then if something happens after that, we can go from there.”