THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Odell Beckham Jr loves to dance, loves expressing himself, and will have no problem explaining how he feels at any moment. He has a deep and loyal fan base, a devoted social media following, and strong relationships throughout the world of sports. However, his burning desire to win and succeed supersedes everything.
This season, the mainstream media aimed to knock Bekcham down as a petulant and immature wide receiver after his falling out with the Cleveland Browns and quarterback Baker Mayfield. After his release from the Browns six games into the 2021 season, Beckham has found his peace, purpose and above all, sixty minutes away from football immortality here in Los Angeles.
Beckham joined the Los Angeles Rams on November 12, 2021. On that very day, wide receiver Robert Woods injured his knee, tearing his ACL. Beckham’s contributions weren’t that great by mainstream media’s standards. In eight games in the regular season, he tallied 27 catches for 305 yards and five touchdowns. Not great, but he was learning Rams head coach Sean McVay’s intricate offense.
During the playoffs, Beckham found his stride. In three playoff games, OBJ caught 19 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown. Moreover, Beckham and triple-crown wide receiver Cooper Kupp have built a relationship on the field as well.
“We didn’t know we were going to lose Robert like that,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said Monday. “But I thought Odell did a great job of stepping in. His role was different than Rob’s was, but he’s embraced that role, he’s grown in that role.”
Saturday, Feb. 6, Beckham had a big surprise for the Watts Rams youth football team, which the L.A. Rams have become their big brother. Beckham announced he would give at least 19 tickets for them to go to the Super Bowl.
“I remember watching the Super Bowl – I can’t remember which one, but it was probably Tom Brady – but wanting to be there so bad,” Beckham said. “As a kid, you say the words, ‘I’m going to play in the Super Bowl,’ and now at, 29 years old, here I am with my first opportunity to play in the Super Bowl. It’s just a dream come true.”
A lesson in life is nothing grows in its comfort zone. When Beckham signed his contract, it included a $750,000 base salary to join the LA Rams, plus an immediate $500,000 signing bonus. The contract included a host of team-oriented achievement incentives.
According to Spotrac.com, Odell earned $500,000 for advancing past the wild card round, $750,000 for beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round and pocketing $750,000 for advancing to Super Bowl LVI. If Beckham Jr participates in tomorrow’s game and loses, he’ll pocket $500,000. If the Rams win, he’ll receive a cool million dollars.
Beckham, who will be a free agent in March, has no issues with betting on himself. He’ll have plenty of suitors looking to acquire his talents. But he indicated during his press conference that he’d like to remain with the Rams.
“One of the biggest regrets that I have about the way things ended is I just didn’t get … it’s like having a breakup, but there really was no closure, and it’s kind of just like you go, that’s just it,” Beckham said of his time in Cleveland. “A lot of things were out of my control. By the time I woke up, the video was already posted. It just was unfortunate. Sometimes things go that way in life, and you just kind of got to roll with the punches. I just think about, here I am now and just making the most of the opportunity that I have.”