At one point, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay left the door open for a return of Pro Bowl side receiver Odell Beckham Jr., but nothing ever came to fruition. Now, Beckham is looking to break back into the NFL and has a simple request.
The three-time Pro Bowler and member of the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl team, Beckham spent part of 2024 with the Miami Dolphins.
As he looks for a new home, Beckham made his hopes for another opportunity clear.
Ex-Rams Star Odell Beckham Jr. Eyeing NFL Comeback
GettyFormer Los Angeles Rams WR Odell Beckham Jr. attends Charity Day 2025 hosted by the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund.
Beckham, 32, logged nine games with the Dolphins, but the two sides mutually agreed to part ways for a variety of reasons. The former Rams playmaker has battled injuries throughout his career, but Beckham says he feels as healthy as he has in years.
With a host of personal and team accolades, Beckham says he could easily call it a career and retire from pro football.
However, while he has “some things in the works,” Beckham says “retiring is not happening.”
“I’ll tell you that right now. I just came from the gym. This the first time in a long time [I can] pop up out of bed. Or if we was walking right now, and a dog was about to chase me, I could take off running. I’m good,” Beckham said during an interview with Complex’s Jordan Rose that was published on September 17. “I know I could play in the league right now.
“I done seen who’s out on the field. I done worked out with the top people. And it’s like, for me, they had taken all the time off and see where I was at compared to them. It’s like, man, bro. I know I could play ball.”
Odell Beckham Hopeful But Realistic About Next Role
GettyOdell Beckham Jr. #3 of the Miami Dolphins warms up before the game against the New England Patriots.
Beckham, whom the Rams signed in November 2021 after the Cleveland Browns released him, has earned $99.1 million in his career, according to Over The Cap. Perhaps thanks to that safety net, he is not looking to break the bank, though he still threw out some lofty figures.
Beckham said he is also not looking to rock the boat in terms of a team’s pecking order for targets in the passing game.
He just wants a role with a contender.
“I’m not looking to be somebody’s No. 1 receiver and get 15 targets,” Beckham said. “It’s like, bro, I know the game. I get how it goes. We’re investing $35 [million], $30 million, $20 [million] in somebody here. You got to show the boss why you put $20 million into somebody. I just be wanting to play ball on a good team where I have a role where I got five to six, seven plays where I’m getting a chance to catch. But I also want to go hit somebody, too. I want to play football.”
His most recent contract was a one-year, $3 million deal with Miami. Beckham was on a one-year, $2 million pact with the Rams. He has not landed a deal worth $20 million since 2018. The then-Browns star inked a five-year, $90 million deal that he was on when they cut him.
Odell Beckahm Jr. Looking to Cement Legacy
GettyOdell Beckham Jr. #3 of the Los Angeles Rams holds the Super Bowl LVI trophy before facing the Buffalo Bills.
For Beckham, who tore his ACL during that Super Bowl with the Rams, his comeback attempt is not about money or accolades.
He “was never out to be a star.”
“I just always was one. So, like when I would shine, they would see that it was something different,” Beckham said. “Now, I just want to play ball, bro. Finish off my legacy for myself. I don’t ever want to look back and be like, ‘Man, I stopped too early when I didn’t have …,’ even though I’ve done everything. And maybe maybe in a couple months, I feel different, and I’m like, ‘Ah, go ahead. Let the kids play.’ But in that kind of sense, I done did … a lot.’”
“It’s for me,” Beckham said. “That’s really what it is. It’s for me for when I sit back [as] a old man. It’s like, ‘I did it.’ I did it, bro, Beckham said. “There’s a lot of other stuff I could have played, bro. And it’s like, I gave my all to this one. So, I just want to see it through, go from there.”
The Rams may not need a receiver, but many others could, and they could certainly use a healthy Beckham.
Former Rams WR Odell Beckham Sets Record Straight With Clear Message: ‘I Know’