Odell Beckham Jr. says Ravens didn't assure him Lamar Jackson would be his QB when he signed
Odell Beckham Jr. is now a member of the Baltimore Ravens, but that doesn't mean Lamar Jackson will be, too.
The veteran wide receiver said the Ravens didn't give him any assurances that Jackson would be his quarterback when Beckham signed his one-year deal worth up to $18 million on Sunday. Although he and Jackson FaceTimed soon after the news broke, the quarterback still hasn't signed his non-exclusive franchise tag or a long-term extension with the Ravens.
"Didn't get any assurance for anything," Beckham Jr. said Thursday. "My thoughts would be he would be here."
Beckham Jr. also jokingly waved to the cameras and made a direct request to Jackson: "Lamar, if you're watching, I'd love to get to work with you."
"The goal was to come here and have that possibility to play with [Lamar Jackson]."
OBJ on joining the Ravens 👀pic.twitter.com/aaEN9ekmOG— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 13, 2023
Jackson requested a trade on March 2, five days before he was given the non-exclusive franchise tag which allowed him to seek and sign an offer sheet with any other team. Since then, nothing has seemingly materialized that would indicate Jackson would return to the Ravens — or sign with anyone else. He is likely seeking a long-term extension similar to the fully guaranteed $230 million deal Deshaun Watson signed with the Browns.
And while bringing Beckham into the fold should certainly help Baltimore's case to sign Jackson, former NFL executive Mark Dominick told Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein that Beckham doesn't necessarily mean Jackson will return. The Ravens had a need at receiver regardless of who their quarterback was, and adding Beckham alleviates the pressure of taking one early in the 2023 draft.
The Ravens, meanwhile, haven't strayed from the idea that Jackson will be their starting quarterback next season and beyond.
Moments after Jackson revealed on Twitter he requested a trade, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters he was "thinking about [Jackson] as our quarterback" and was "confident" an agreement would be reached. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Thursday that he and the team "think of him as QB1. We are hopeful to get a deal done. Sometimes the best things take a long time."
For now, Beckham will join other former first-round receivers Nelson Agholor (signed this offseason from the New England Patriots) and Rashod Bateman as the Ravens' top receivers alongside tight end Mark Andrews.
