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Odell Beckham Jr. might have officially called time on his career with the Baltimore Ravens after just one season.
The veteran wide receiver posted a message on his Instagram (h/t The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov) on Sunday, March 17, that reads like a goodbye to the Ravens and their fans. Particularly the line, “Swea on everything I appreciate the Flock more than yall could ever imagine. Did everything I could wit the opportunities I had.”
There was a tinge of regret among Beckham’s closing statements. They included the line, “Wish I got to do it big for yall,” preceding a ring emoji.
This was an obvious reference to OBJ and the Ravens coming up a game short in their pursuit of the Super Bowl. The 17-10 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game looks like it will go down as Beckham’s last action in a Ravens uniform.
His struggles to make a dent in the Chiefs’ defense summed up what was a frustrating season for the wideout. His lack of production explains why rumors have been rife the Ravens are ready to move on from the 31-year-old.
Odell Beckham Jr. Didn’t Make the Impact Ravens Expected
When the Ravens handed Beckham a lucrative, one-year contract worth $15 million last offseason they thought they were getting a proven commodity who could still dominate games. The reality proved a lot different, with OBJ struggling to forge a consistent connection with franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The two were only able to produce a mere 35 receptions. Meanwhile, Beckham found himself upstaged by rookie Zay Flowers, who became Jackson’s go-to target with 77 catches.
Beckham’s case was hardly helped by the Ravens remaining a run-heavy offense, even after Todd Monken succeeded Greg Roman as coordinator. Monken’s play-calling still led to a league-high 541 rushing attempts and 2,661 yards on the ground.
Targets became scarce for Beckham during the business end of the season. He closed out the regular season with four catches from seven targets, per Pro Football Reference. Beckham had to settle for the same number of targets in the postseason, as he reeled in just four grabs across two playoff games.
There weren’t many chances for Beckham to establish himself in the passing game. Perhaps his admission about doing everything he could with “the opportunities I had” is a reference to the lack of targets.
Either way, Beckham needs to convince teams continuing to look for receiver help in free agency he still has a lot to offer. It won’t be easy for a player who appears to have lost some of his dynamic athleticism after tearing his left ACL twice.
Ravens Still Lack Star Power at WR
The Ravens are right to part ways with Beckham. They rolled the dice on a one-year flier, but things didn’t work out. That doesn’t mean general manager Eric DeCosta should be done looking for some star power at receiver.
Options are thin after the initial flurry of free agency, but NFL record-holder Michael Thomas makes sense as a replacement for OBJ. So does a big-bodied target like 6-foot-4, 218-pounder Mike Williams.
DeCosta might need to get creative with limited salary-cap space Spotrac.com projects at $14,351,781. It ought to be enough for the Ravens to gamble on another high-profile veteran and hope the pass-catcher can deliver marquee contributions Beckham struggled to produce.
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