Former LSU receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had a career resurgence in the second half of the 2021 NFL season.
Beckham landed with the Los Angeles Rams after a tough start to the season with the Cleveland Browns, who waived him in accordance with his wishes. He became a focal point of an offense that helped lead the Rams to a Super Bowl win last month.
Now Beckham, who is a free agent after signing a one-year deal with Los Angeles, has a tough decision to make. However, one league source said that Beckham currently plans to return to the Rams in 2022, per Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson.
“Look for OBJ to be back with the Rams at some point,” the source said. “It’s a strong fit, and they know what he can do, and he loves it there. He’s not leaving.”
Once viewed as one of the best receivers in the league, Beckham saw his production drop off when he was traded to the Browns in 2019. After breaking 1,300 yards in each of his first three seasons in the league with the New York Giants, he never cracked the 1,100-yard threshold in his two full seasons in Cleveland.
He had 232 yards and no scores on 17 catches in six games with the Browns, and though the yardage total didn’t increase markedly in his eight games with Los Angeles, the scoring total did. Beckham found the end zone five times in those final eight games, benefitting from the play of quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The Rams have a salary-cap nightmare situation on their hands heading into the future. Entering 2021, they already had a few big deals on the books, such as cornerback Jalen Ramsey and defensive tackle Aaron Donald. After trading for Stafford and edge rusher Von Miller, the team is now more than $20 million in the red and will need to shave cap space this offseason.
However, Beckham’s deal this season was for just $1.25 million, and though it would likely cost more to keep him around, he told NFL.com’s Nick Shook last month that he would be willing to sacrifice part of his salary to stay with the Rams.
As Tuesday is the league’s franchise tag deadline, it seems unlikely that the Rams plan to use the tag on Beckham. However, it seems the prevailing opinion around the league is that the team plans to extend him.
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