The Baltimore Ravens spent the 2023 offseason surrounding QB Lamar Jackson with the best wide receiver room he’s had in his career, including one-time wunderkind Odell Beckham Jr. He signed a one-year contract worth $15 million, which basically everyone thought was too much. They also threw in $3 million in incentives. I don’t know or care if he earned any, so don’t ask.
While he made some plays over the course of the season, the signing could hardly be called a smashing success. For their $15 million the Ravens got 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson only threw one interception while targeting him—the lone interception by Pittsburgh Steelers rookie CB Joey Porter Jr.
No doubt in part due to the lack of production from the 31-year-old former phenom, the Ravens are not expected to re-sign him according to Ryan Mink writing for the team’s own website. In detailing the wide receiver position as their top focus this offseason, he said he expected a “refresh”.
“It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Ravens bring back veteran Nelson Agholor, who made a strong impression on his one-year deal”, he wrote, in part. “I don’t see the Ravens spending big money on keeping a free agent or bringing in a new one. They just don’t have the salary-cap space”. And in all probability, they don’t.
Over The Cap projects the Ravens to have a little over $7 million in cap space. Regular followers of the site probably know that’s not a lot when considering foreseeable expenses. They have five players accounting for at least $13.5 million against the cap in 2024. Beckham, as a free agent, is obviously not one of them. And I don’t see any team signing him to a deal that puts him in that category this offseason.
Notably, Beckham’s contract includes four void years. He counted under $5 million against the 2023 cap as a result. In other words, he already wields a hefty cap hit for the Ravens in 2024 even though he’s not under contract. You hate to see it.
Beckham, by the way, caught four passes for 34 yards during the Ravens’ two-game postseason run in 2023. He fared a bit better the last time he was on the field for the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. In four games, he caught 21 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns before tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl.
He went an entire year out of football in 2022 before the Ravens signed him. At the time of the deal, many painted it as incentive for Jackson to sign their long-term contract offer. Perhaps it worked because he did sign, but don’t expect Beckham to be around in 2024.
The Ravens followed up by drafting Zay Flowers in the first round, and no doubt they will target another receiver early during the 2024 NFL Draft. They also have Rashod Bateman going into his fourth season. The 2023 season was not nearly the breakout year for him, the former first-round pick catching just 32 passes for 367 yards and one touchdown. But surely the fourth time’s the charm.
