Getty The Baltimore Ravens gave Odell Beckham Jr. an ultimatum before he joined the team.
When Odell Beckham Jr. was ready to return to football from his knee injury, he had options for where he was going to play in 2023.
Teams like the Giants, Cowboys, and Chiefs were all named as potential over the course of his free agency.
In the end, the decision wound up coming down to the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets.
According to Beckham Jr., the Ravens tried to make it so there wasn’t any actual decision to be made.
During an appearance on Ravens teammate Marlon Humphrey’s Punch Line Podcast, the former All-Pro receiver revealed that the organization gave him an ultimatum before he signed with them.
If he visited the Jets, their offer was off the table.
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“In my heart, I was set to go back to New York and be a Jet,” Beckham Jr. told Humphrey. “Long story short, I remember getting the call over the weekend. They were like, ‘Hey, this is the Ravens. This our offer. What is it gonna take for you to not take that visit?’ ”
“They said, ‘If you do get on that plane, just know the offer is off the table.’ ”
Beckham Jr. ended up taking the deal from the Ravens and now he finds himself preparing for a playoff run.
The Contract That Convinced Beckham Jr.
No NFL franchise can just go throwing around ultimatums to players without some money to back it up.
The Ravens brought that money with a larger contract than expected for their former division rival.
Beckham Jr. and the Ravens ended up agreeing on a 1-year deal worth at least $15 million that included incentives that could be worth up to $3 million more.
The former All-Pro ended up earning $1 million from those incentives.
At the time, it was reported by SNY’s Connor Hughes that Beckham Jr. gave the Jets the chance to match the offer from the Ravens, but they chose not to.
In the end, it seems things worked out pretty well for the Ravens receiver both financially and on the field.
Move Worked Out For Beckham Jr.
At the time Beckham Jr. was looking for a team, the Jets and Ravens both appeared to be strong options.
They had two of the NFL’s best defenses at the end of the 2022 season and had former MVPs at quarterback.
The Ravens more than lived up to their potential, finishing as the AFC’s top team during the regular season.
The season wasn’t quite as positive for the Jets.
Aaron Rodgers played just four snaps before a torn achilles ended his first season with the team.
After their new quarterback was injured, the Jets ended up turning to three different quarterbacks over the course of the season.
None of them were any good. The team threw for the third-least passing yards and least passing touchdowns in the league.
Garrett Wilson was the team’s only wide receiver that had more than 350 yards. He was also the team’s only receiver to top 25 catches for the year.
Beckham Jr. finished the 2023 regular season with 35 catches for 565 yards and 3 touchdowns.
It seems like he made the right call when presented with the Ravens’ ultimatum.