Odell Beckham Jr. asked out Cleveland and signed with the Rams in November.- Beckham's career has been revived in LA, as he has 541 yards and 6 touchdowns in 11 games.
Odell Beckham Jr.'s exit from Cleveland has worked out pretty well.
Since being waived by the Cleveland Browns on November 5, Beckham has moved to LA, made $2 million in playoff bonuses, and made a Super Bowl.
In early November, things between Beckham and the Browns had deteriorated. In Weeks 7 and 8, Beckham had totaled just three catches on 7 targets for 29 yards.
Beckham hadn't been the same difference-making player in Cleveland thanks to injuries and poor chemistry with Baker Mayfield. Over his final 13 games with the Browns, across the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Beckham had amassed just 40 catches for 551 yards and 3 touchdowns without logging a play longer than 43 yards.
On the day of the
According to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, Beckham and his agent had asked for a trade multiple times.
Following the video's release, the Browns excused Beckham from practice that week as they weighed his future.
The Browns ultimately decided to release Beckham, restructuring his contract to make him less appealing to teams to claim off waivers, according to Cabot.
Sure enough, Beckham became a free agent and signed with the Rams.
Beckham's career has been revived in LA
Beckham and the Rams have proven to be a perfect match.
In eight games with the Rams, Beckham posted 27 catches for 305 yards and 5 touchdowns, much greater production than he showed in his final two seasons with the Browns.
After telling reporters he was "deprived" of touchdowns in Cleveland, Beckham became a red-zone weapon for Matthew Stafford.
Things have only gotten better for Beckham in the playoffs.
Over three playoff games, Beckham already has 19 catches, 236 yards, and a touchdown. He had several pivotal fourth-quarter catches in the NFC Championship win over the 49ers.
Beckham still has explosive plays in him, even if they're less frequent than his days with the New York Giants. Beckham has no problem creating separation or finding holes in the defense for big plays.
—NFL (@NFL) January 31, 2022
His production has helped the Rams advance to the Super Bowl, which has also been beneficial for Beckham's bank account. According to ESPN's Field Yates, Beckham has made $2 million in playoff bonuses in this postseason run and will have another $1 million at stake if the Rams can beat the Cincinnati Bengals.
—Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 31, 2022
Beckham's production has almost certainly helped his long-term financial prospects, too. Beckham is a free agent next year and seems much more likely to command a multi-year, eight-figure contract than he did while was languishing in Cleveland.
After advancing to the Super Bowl on Sunday, Beckham told ESPN in a postgame interview that he foresaw making the Super Bowl this year — he just had no idea he'd do it with the Rams.
"I'm trying to just live in the moment and not get too far ahead thinking about [the Super Bowl]," Beckham said. "It doesn't mean anything unless we go do it. So enjoy this moment right now.
"I stayed down. I stayed prayed up. I told somebody I was going to be playing in the Super Bowl in LA. I didn't know I was going to be a Ram. God is good."