Will Odell Beckham Jr. deal help Lamar Jackson, Ravens reach resolution?

The tone had markedly changed.

Sure, in recent weeks, the social media presence of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson hadn’t trended exclusively negative.

Jackson had celebrated love in the world, his fans and the fitness product he’s endorsing.

But when it came to matters of the team that selected him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and the team that still — whether he likes it or not — holds his 2023 playing rights? Jackson had lamented his injury history and the associated perception of his commitment to the team. On March 27, Jackson went so far as to announce he had requested a trade from the team on March 5. The 22-days-later announcement coincided exactly with the start of Ravens head coach John Harbaugh’s media availability at the NFL owners meeting in Arizona.

So when the Ravens signed three-time Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal with $15 million guaranteed, the questions immediately rolled. Who would throw the ball to Beckham as Jackson’s standoff with the team raged on? Did signing Beckham reflect the team’s confidence that Jackson would play for the Ravens, a push to convince the quarterback to suit up with or without a fully guaranteed contract, or neither?

To what degree was Jackson informed about this transaction?

Some clarity came mere minutes later, when Jackson posted to Instagram a screenshot FaceTiming with his newest teammate and potential target. Both players flashed smiles and extended two fingers as if forming a peace sign. It was a fitting gesture for an acquisition that Mark Dominik, whose Tampa Bay Buccaneers tenure included a Super Bowl win and five years as general manager, called an “olive branch.”

That peace gesture may also have worked — at least for now, current and former NFL coach and front-office members told Yahoo Sports.

“Continue monitoring Lamar’s actions and words,” Dominik told Yahoo Sports. “I think he’s telling the story without realizing he’s telling the story.”

The Ravens may be, too.

How much will OBJ actually impact Ravens’ 2023 performance?

In signing Beckham, the Ravens bucked multiple trends.

They bucked a league free agency trend, paying $15 million to a 30-year-old receiver coming off two ACL tears in a year when no other receiver’s annual salary surpassed $11 million. And the Ravens bucked a franchise trend in signing such a high-ceiling receiver as Beckham, who earned three Pro Bowl honors from 2014-16. Since the Ravens’ inception in 1996, the franchise has never fronted a Pro Bowl receiver (receiver Devin Duvernay did earn special-teams Pro Bowl honors as a returner last season). In comparison: Every other NFL team has fielded a receiver who earned Pro Bowl honors at least once since 2011, per ESPN Stats and Info.

“I think they were looking for someone who legitimately they like, and because of the athletic quarterbacks that they usually have, someone who can vertical press,” Dominik said. “I feel like they were missing a legit No. 1 feeling and I think they still think they can get that out of OBJ … a guy who they can trust to run good routes, get open, move the chains.”

One AFC defensive coach who has schemed against Jackson and Beckham said Beckham has proven to be a capable aging receiver when coupled with a sufficiently talented quarterback, his successful jump from the Cleveland Browns to Los Angeles Rams in 2021 not unrelated to transitioning from Baker Mayfield at quarterback to Matthew Stafford.

Jackson can make those throws, if healthy, the coach reasoned. But will Jackson stay healthy? Add in Beckham’s extended recent absence and the concerns mount.

“It’s a hard game to step away from and come back,” the defensive coach told Yahoo Sports. “Definitely a unique talent, he’s proven he could play in the league at a high level but just like anyone else in the league it’s, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ It’s a new environment.

“The PR aspect of the name of Odell Beckham and the commitment of the money — that, to me, is also a part of it.”

Beckham appears already to have impacted Jackson’s sentiment toward the Ravens to some degree, if Instagram (which, breaking news, is not always consistent with reality) is any indication. And yet, one NFC executive wondered if that could translate to on-field success. Beckham and Jackson’s friendship predates their new alliance, Beckham commenting “BOY U DIFFFF” on Jackson’s last positive Ravens Instagram post, which came Nov. 20.

The executive pointed to the Las Vegas Raiders trading last year for receiver Davante Adams as he came off his second straight All-Pro recognition and fifth straight Pro Bowl berth. Adams’ close relationship with Derek Carr, his college quarterback, had further motivated the trade.

And Adams was productive, catching 100 passes for 1,516 yards and a league-best 14 touchdowns. But that wasn’t sufficient for team success as the Raiders finished 6-11 and de facto parted ways with Carr before season’s end.

“I can’t recall when signing a QB’s buddy truly helped the team,” the executive told Yahoo Sports. “Certainly didn’t help the Raiders last season.”

Could the Ravens similarly split from Jackson in a year?

A key date to watch Jackson, Ravens this month

Dominik, the NFC executive and the AFC coach all agreed: While Beckham’s deal may boost the chance Jackson plays on the franchise tag in 2023, it doesn’t lend any more optimism to his long-term future with the Ravens — on a contract signed this year, or even next.

Beckham had reportedly sought a multiyear deal. Instead, the Ravens paid him above market value but for exactly one season.

Signing Beckham further fills a void the Ravens needed to address whether Jackson, Tyler Huntley or another acquisition is at quarterback. The Ravens are designed such that a versatile, athletic quarterback can best succeed running their offense. First-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken has more of a receiver background than previous coordinator Greg Roman, boosting the potential to integrate Beckham smoothly. And the Ravens own just five draft picks in this year’s draft, and just one in the top 85. Beginning to address the glaring need at receiver that's been there since they traded Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals last year was necessary, even if the execution and price raised eyebrows.

Does signing Beckham at receiver influence whether the Ravens draft a quarterback? Dominik wonders whether the Ravens would trade up a QB gifted with traits like Anthony Richardson.

“If one of these quarterbacks starts to slip and it starts to get into the 20s, keep an eye on the Ravens,” Dominik said. “I think they’ll be more likely to pull back in the draft because I think they don’t want to just have five picks. I think they’re a team who would actually like to go the opposite direction.”

Dominik considers a trade for Jackson unlikely at this point after more than a month of a quiet market. Reflecting back to when he traded a first- and fourth-round draft pick for the expensive star cornerback Darrelle Revis as Bucs GM in 2013, Dominik emphasized the value of trading before the draft rather than during it when the compensation is so significant.

“If something doesn't break by Saturday before the draft, if there’s no visits [for a medical evaluation], there’s no trade,” Dominik said. “I think you either make this trade ahead or you don’t make it at all. And I think with that contract, I don’t know how you do it.”

The Ravens and Jackson would still have until July 17 to negotiate a long-term contract. If no trade or long-term deal is reached by then, Jackson must either play for the Ravens on the $32 million non-exclusive tag or sit out.

In the interim, the NFC executive predicted, 2020 first-round quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow may reach deals on long-term extensions with the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively. If neither nets a fully guaranteed contract, the odds Jackson receives one with any significant length plummets still further. Would that change Jackson's mind, or would the trust between quarterback and team already have eroded too much?

“If you stab me 50 times in the back,” the defensive coach said, “when we make up, it doesn’t mean you won’t have a scar.”