Tag: Odell Beckham

Ex-Rams safety John Johnson questions Odell Beckham Jr.’s fit in LA

John Johnson says the Rams offense goes through Cooper Kupp, so he questions Odell Beckham Jr.’s fit in L.A.

John Johnson spent the first four years of his career with the Rams, all with Sean McVay as his head coach. He spent the first nine weeks of this season in Cleveland with the Browns where he was teammates with Odell Beckham Jr.

He knows how talented Beckham is as a receiver, but he’s not so sure about how OBJ fits with the Rams, given the fact that they already have Cooper Kupp as their No. 1 target. During his media session on Thursday after Beckham’s deal with the Rams was announced, Johnson shared his immediate thoughts on the move for both sides.

“I don’t know how that’s going to work,” he said, via the Akron Beacon Journal.

“I just feel like they had a good thing going, like a complete offense. From being in L.A., I know for a fact the offense runs through Cooper Kupp. Even in the run game, the pass game, the screen game, it kind of runs through Cooper Kupp. Obviously, Odell’s a big name. He’s going to want that attention, as well. So it’ll be interesting.”

Kupp has dominated the target share in Los Angeles this season. He’s seen 103 passes thrown his way in only nine games, 34 more than any other player on the Rams. Matthew Stafford has exceled when targeting Kupp, connecting for big play after big play.

Stafford won’t force the ball to Beckham, nor will McVay design a game plan to heavily feature the Rams’ new receiver. Johnson knows that and doesn’t doubt McVay’s ability to make it work with Beckham.

“Coach McVay, he’s one of the best doing it. I know he’ll find a way to get it done,” Johnson said. “But just right off the bat, I’m like, I wouldn’t really want to go there if I were him, but we’ll see how it goes, and I wish him the best.

“They’re going to find a way to get him the ball. They’re definitely going to do that. Matt Stafford is one of the best doing it right now. They have an electric offense. They’re fun to watch. So it’ll be interesting. I’m going to be tuned in and see how it goes. But that’s a good situation to go to if you’re a wide receiver. I know that.”

It’ll take some time for Beckham to get fully acclimated in the Rams offense and he’ll have to not only learn a new playbook, but also adjust to being on a team where he won’t be the No. 1 receiver.

As the season progresses, the Rams offense should only get better because having too many playmakers is never a bad thing – especially if everyone has bought into McVay’s “we not me” mentality.

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Odell Beckham Jr.’s $3 million in incentives are all team-based

Odell Beckham Jr. can earn $3 million in incentives with the Rams, which is all contingent on the team’s success, not his own stats.

The Rams are betting on Odell Beckham Jr. to help them win the Super Bowl this season. Beckham is also betting on the Rams’ playoff success to help him earn more money the rest of the year.

The two sides agreed to a one-year deal on Thursday, carrying a maximum value of $4.25 million. Beckham will earn $1.25 million in a signing bonus and salary, with the other $3 million coming in the form of incentives.

According to Ian Rapoport, all of those incentives are team-based, not individual. So it doesn’t matter if he puts up 100 yards or 1,000 in the final eight games because he’ll earn the same amount based on the Rams’ postseason success.

If the Rams win Super Bowl LVI this season, Beckham will earn a $500,000 bonus, which is a nice payday for the former Browns and Giants receiver.

“He gets a one-year deal worth up to $4.25 million,” Rapoport said on “Good Morning Football” Friday. So what it is is, $1.25 million essentially in salary, some in a signing bonus. And then $3 million available in team-based incentives based on the playoffs and how they do. No individual incentives for Beckham.”

Beckham picked the Rams over the Packers, Seahawks, Chiefs and Saints, liking the fact that they gave him the opportunity to make back some of the money he lost after getting released by the Browns.

“He liked that it made him have the opportunity to get back the $3 million he gave up when he finagled his exit from the Cleveland Browns,” Rapoport said. “The Packers had an offer for the minimum. That’s it. That’s all they could do based on where they’re at salary cap-wise. Had the Packers upped their offer, maybe he’d be in Green Bay right now. Maybe. But the Rams – specifically the Rams’ players – did a great job of recruiting him and Beckham lands with the Rams.”

At 7-2, the Rams are fully expected to make the playoffs and based on their talent, they should make a fairly deep run. Winning it all in their own building at SoFi Stadium would be pretty special, too.

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Cooper Kupp on Odell Beckham Jr.: ‘People forget a little bit about how good he is’

Cooper Kupp shared his initial thoughts on the Rams’ addition of Odell Beckham Jr., saying people forget how good he is.

Cooper Kupp has a new running mate at wide receiver after the Rams added Odell Beckham Jr. following his release from the Browns. They agreed to a one-year deal with Beckham, bringing him aboard Thursday for their Super Bowl push the rest of the season.

Kupp is still the No. 1 receiver in Los Angeles but the addition of Beckham gives Matthew Stafford yet another weapon on offense – someone who can stretch the field vertically and also make plays after the catch with the ball in his hands. Kupp will have no problem sharing the field and targets with Beckham, sounding very excited about the Rams’ latest acquisition.

“I think his resume speaks for himself,” Kupp said after practice Thursday. “What he’s been able to do on the football field over the course of his career, I think people forget a little bit about how good he is, what he’s been able to do, his ability to separate, stretch the field. He’s done it all. Down the field, he’s worked underneath routes, he’s done the intermediate stuff, so he’s a guy that’s kind of done all of that. Very explosive football player so excited about it.”

The Rams were in search of a deep threat this offseason after they missed Brandin Cooks in 2020. They brought in DeSean Jackson, but his role wasn’t what he expected so he asked to be traded and was eventually released.

Beckham has plenty of downfield speed and is great at high-pointing the ball in the air, which gives the Rams an element that they lack with Kupp and Woods. It’s too early to say whether this will work out perfectly for Los Angeles but it can never hurt to add an explosive playmaker like Beckham to the team.

And if he can recapture some of the magic that he showed early in his career with the Giants, the Rams are going to be near-impossible to stop.

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How does signing Odell Beckham Jr. affect Rams’ salary cap?

After releasing DeSean Jackson and signing Odell Beckham Jr., the Rams’ salary cap hasn’t been impacted all that much.

Les Snead pulled another rabbit out of his hat this week when he and the Rams agreed to a one-year deal with Odell Beckham Jr. This move comes a little over a week after Los Angeles acquired Von Miller from the Broncos, landing two stars for the stretch run this season.

We already know that Miller’s contract will only cost the Rams $722,222 this season after the Broncos agreed to pay most of his remaining salary, but how does the Beckham signing affect the salary cap in Los Angeles? Not as much as you might think.

Beckham’s deal only came with $500,000 in guaranteed money as a signing bonus and he’ll receive another $750,000 for the rest of the season. There are also $3 million in incentives, according to Ian Rapoport, including a $500,000 bonus if the Rams win the Super Bowl. So in total, it’s worth up to $4.25 million.

Beckham’s cap hit this season is $1.25 million, though the Rams could wind up paying him more depending on whether he earns his incentives. The Rams saved about $1 million by releasing DeSean Jackson, so adding Beckham is almost a wash financially.

Prior to signing Beckham, the Rams had about $3.1 million in cap space. Now, they have $1.87 million, which is still more than six other teams in the NFL. That’s hard to believe considering they brought aboard Beckham and Miller in a span of about a week, but they did an excellent job working to get both players at a very low cost – about $2 million combined.

Since Beckham’s on a one-year deal, he obviously won’t impact the salary cap in 2022, nor will Miller, whose contract expires after this season.

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6 questions still to be answered after Rams sign Odell Beckham Jr.

There are a handful of questions that come with the Rams’ signing of Odell Beckham Jr.

Sean McVay said weeks ago not to expect the Rams to make any big splashes before the trade deadline. Well, not only did they make a huge one by acquiring Von Miller in a trade with the Broncos, but they then added Odell Beckham Jr. as a free agent.

The Rams are loading up for a Super Bowl run and on paper, there aren’t many teams more talented than them, if any. And as exciting as it is to have Beckham in L.A. with Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford, there are still some questions to be answered about his role, his health and who will give up snaps to get him on the field.

Odell Beckham Jr.’s contract with Rams is worth up to $4.25 million

Odell Beckham Jr.’s contract is incentive-heavy and can be worth up to $4.25 million this year.

After taking a couple days to weigh his options, Odell Beckham Jr. finally landed on his next team: the Los Angeles Rams. He agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Rams on Thursday, bolstering the team’s receiving corps.

Beckham had other suitors, primarily the Packers, but he liked his fit with the Rams in L.A. They couldn’t offer him as much as other teams and after seeing the details of his contract, it shows how the Rams afforded to sign him.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Beckham’s deal has a $750,000 salary for the rest of the year and a $500,000 signing bonus. The remaining $3 million is in the form of incentives, which he can earn in the final eight games and into the postseason.

As part of those incentives, if the Rams win the Super Bowl, Beckham will earn $500,000. The total value of his contract is $4.25 million if he hits all of his incentives.

The Rams had about $3.1 million in cap space before signing Beckham so they’ll have to move some money around to fit his entire deal under the cap in the event that he earns all of the incentives.

John Lynch said Odell Beckham Jr. asked to come to 49ers before being traded by Giants

General manager John Lynch said Odell Beckham has tried getting the #49ers to acquire him before.

The 49ers didn’t have a real shot to land free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. this year, but it wasn’t because he didn’t want to suit up in red and gold. Before he was traded to the Cleveland Browns, Beckham tried to convince the 49ers to make a play for him according to general manager John Lynch.

Rumors about Beckham approaching the 49ers during a Giants-49ers game in Santa Clara have floated for awhile, but the GM had never directly addressed it. He said in an appearance on KNBR in San Francisco that Beckham talked to him before one of their matchups in 2017 or 2018.

“He’s been fond of our place,” Lynch told the Bay Area radio station. “I mean, shoot. I’ll never forget, four years ago or something, he came up to me in pregame in New York saying, ‘get me here, get me here.’ I probably shouldn’t be saying that, but I didn’t tamper, it was him.”

The 49ers haven’t played in New York since Lynch became the GM, but the Giants played at Levi’s Stadium in 2017 and 2018. Given that Beckham didn’t play in the 2017 matchup, it was probably the 2018 game Lynch was recalling.

However, there was also speculation after Beckham and the Browns got beat by the 49ers in 2019 that the receiver told quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to “come get me.”

A 3-5 record and losses in five of their last six games probably kept the 49ers from being real contenders for Beckham, who became a free agent this week after being released by the Browns. He eventually signed with the Rams.

While Beckham’s desire to play for the 49ers didn’t help them this year, it could be a factor in free agency this offseason. The receiver will only be under contract with Los Angeles through the rest of the season before hitting the open market next year.

San Francisco hasn’t taken many big swings in free agency since Lynch took over the front office, but acquiring Beckham could be something they aim to do in the offseason if they deem receiver to be a big enough need.

Von Miller’s reaction to Rams signing Odell Beckham Jr. was perfect

Von Miller had the perfect reaction to the Rams signing Odell Beckham Jr.

Von Miller wasted no time helping his new team, despite not being able to take the field for a game with the Rams yet. After Odell Beckham Jr. was released by the Browns, he began recruiting him to Los Angeles.

His pitch apparently worked because Beckham agreed to terms with the Rams on Thursday, bringing another star to L.A. After the news broke of Beckham heading to the Rams, Miller immediately got on the phone with the receiver.

The Rams shared a video of Miller’s reaction during his uniform shoot, and his excitement was evident.

A little bit later, Miller took to Twitter and shared a GIF of himself and Beckham sitting courtside at an NBA game. They’ve become friends over the years so you can bet both are thrilled to be part of the same team now – especially one with Super Bowl aspirations.

Jalen Ramsey called Odell Beckham Jr. before practice so Rams could make final pitch

Jalen Ramsey put Odell Beckham Jr. on speakerphone before practice so the Rams could make their final pitch to the WR.

The Rams didn’t have the most money to offer Odell Beckham Jr. after he was cut by the Browns, but they did have the roster and talent to make their pitch stronger than just about every other team who was interested in the star receiver.

Von Miller recruited Beckham to the Rams despite only arriving in L.A. last week, and Jalen Ramsey did his part to bring OBJ to Southern California, too. Ramsey’s pitch even went up to the last minute on Thursday before the Rams took the field for practice.

Robert Woods told reporters that Ramsey called Beckham and put him on speaker prior to practice, letting his teammates make their final push for the wideout to join the Rams.

Clearly, it worked because Beckham agreed to a one-year deal with the Rams.

What Odell Beckham Jr. brings to the Rams

Odell Beckham Jr. brings speed, explosiveness and a vertical element to the offense that should take pressure off Cooper Kupp.

The Rams didn’t necessarily need to add a star wide receiver. They already had the league’s leading wideout, Cooper Kupp, as well as Robert Woods and Van Jefferson. But with DeSean Jackson being cut and Tutu Atwell on injured reserve, they saw a void that could be filled.

And so they went out and added Odell Beckham Jr., who has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Rams. He’s the latest Pro Bowler to arrive in Los Angeles, giving Matthew Stafford yet another weapon to throw to.

While he may not be the Beckham that dominated for the Giants years ago, he’s still a player who threatens a defense at all levels of the field. Here’s more of what he brings to the Rams, bolstering what’s now the best receiving corps in football.