Details of Odell Beckham Jr. deal with Rams revealed

Hours after former Cleveland Browns star Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the Los Angeles Rams, the details of his contract have been revealed — and Beckham took a significant pay cut to play for one of the NFL’s top Super Bowl contenders.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that Beckham signed a one-year deal with the Rams, which is worth up to $4.25 million, but the majority of his contract seems to be centered around team-based incentives. Beckham received a $500,000 signing bonus and a base salary of just $750,000 for the remainder of the season; the rest of the $3 million, Beckham can earned via team-based incentives based on how the Rams finish both the regular season and postseason.

“Odell Beckham Jr wanted to be a free agent and he was willing to give up money to do it,” Rapoport said. “Based on team achievements — the last of which is $500K with a Super Bowl win — he can earn more with the Ra,s than he was due with the Browns.”

The news of Beckham’s decision came just over a week after the Rams added eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller in a trade with the Denver Broncos. Shortly after his arrival in Los Angeles, Miller began courting Beckham to the Rams with an Instagram post that read, in part, “Come to the @Rams so we can chase this ring together!!!”

After turning down the Packers, Beckham and the Rams will face Green Bay

Before the trade was official, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said that Beckham was closing in on a deal with the Los Angeles Rams. However, other reports from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and CBS’ Josina Anderson said that Beckham could have very well signed with the Rams, but he’s still “on the fence” and was deciding between the Rams and Green Bay Packers.

“From the beginning of the process, Odell Beckham Jr spotlighted the Packers and Rams as his top targets,” Rapoport tweeted. “Other teams tried, but in the end, it’s down to two. A tough decision, as Odell just told [NFL Networks Kim Jones]. The offers are somewhat similar.”

Now a member of the Rams, Beckham and Los Angeles will face the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 28, where Beckham will face his potential free-agent suitor.

Production dipped in Cleveland

Beckham’s tenure with the Browns was filled with inconsistency, injuries, and frustration, and Cleveland looked to find a new home for Beckham before the trade deadline. They were ultimately unable to find a suitable trade, however, so the Browns released him. When the LSU product cleared waivers, he became an unrestricted free agent.

Beckham looked the part of a three-time Pro Bowl selection in his time with the New York Giants, bursting onto the scene with 91 receptions, 1,305 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in just 12 games his rookie season and winning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Then, in March of 2019, Beckham was traded to the Browns and hasn’t been the same player since. His 1,300-plus yard rookie season with the Giants was followed by a 1,450-yard sophomore campaign, and a 1,367-yard third year, and all three of those totals come close to the 1,586 yards he tallied over three seasons with the Browns.

He scored just seven touchdowns in the three years since moving to Cleveland, where he teamed up with fellow LSU product Jarvis Landry, and he’s played in 28 games over two-and-a-half seasons. In five seasons with the Giants, by comparison, he scored 44 touchdowns.

After a significant decline in usage, coupled with the social media frustrations, Beckham hoped to be traded by the deadline. But now, he’ll find himself on a loaded Rams roster looking to compete for a Super Bowl.