Ravens need to give Odell Beckham Jr. a reason not to retire

Odell Beckham Jr. said 2023 could be his last year in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens will hope to convince him otherwise. 

The Baltimore Ravens spent a lot of money this offseason. Lamar Jackson signed a historic five-year, $260 million extension. The Ravens also spent a lot to lure Odell Beckham Jr.: $15 million with $3 million in likely incentives, to be exact.

The motives behind both moves are clear as day. Jackson is a former MVP and one of the most explosive offensive talents in the NFL. Beckham is one of the best receivers of his generation and the perfect downfield target for Jackson’s arm canon.

That said, Beckham’s contract is a one-year deal — and he initially didn’t even want to sign in Baltimore. Now, as he told Dan Pompei of The Athletic, Beckham is considering retirement when the season ends.

Baltimore Ravens’ Odell Beckham Jr.  considering retirement at end of season

“I’m thinking like this is my last year,” Beckham said. “I’m going to give it my all this year. And then if something happens after that, we can go from there.”

He does leave the door open a little bit, but it sounds like Beckham is planning to hang up his cleats when the season ends. The Ravens should obviously hope to convince him otherwise; that starts with winning games.

Beckham won the Super Bowl with Los Angeles in 2021 but has been rehabbing a severe knee injury ever since — his ACL was completely demolished in the Rams’ culminating victory. How the season ultimately unfolds will probably determine Beckham’s final thoughts on retirement. At 30 years old, Beckham has a fair amount of mileage on his knees and it only gets harder with each passing year to motivate oneself for the physical rigor required to play football at a professional level.

The Ravens will hope Beckham can reach prime form, but his contract was always a risky proposition. Beckham is returning from a year-long absence and his numbers were already on the decline prior to his knee giving out. Beckham missed nine games in 2020 and he only accrued 537 yards in 14 games played between Cleveland and LA in 2021. His last 1,000 yard season was four years ago.

Beckham will join a talented receiving corps in Baltimore. Rashod Bateman enters his third NFL season with high expectations and first-round pick Zay Flowers is the perfect speedster to complement Jackson under center. If Beckham can achieve peak form as a vertical threat and red zone maestro, the Ravens’ pass game should be top-shelf. Baltimore is already planning to air it out more than ever under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Lamar Jackson is eager to push the boundaries of his new system.

The Ravens face an uphill battle in the AFC, with teams like Kansas City, Buffalo, and Cincinnati all standing between Baltimore and the first Super Bowl berth of Jackson’s career. Beckham is certainly capable of helping the Ravens contend, but it would take something close to a miracle for the Ravens to pull off their dream outcome and take home the Lombardi Trophy. Unless the Ravens truly make a run, it’s hard to imagine Beckham sticking around beyond 2023.