NFL Betting News: Odell Beckham's nice for Jackson

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson requested a trade from the team more than a month ago but there has been no movement on either side after the club slapped the non-exclusive franchise tag on the former MVP. Jackson has made some noise about sitting out this season if not traded, but with the news Sunday that the Ravens have signed free-agent WR Odell Beckham Jr., that means Jackson surely will be play in purple this year or OBJ wouldn’t have signed there.

NFL News: Odell Beckham Signing With Ravens Means Lamar Jackson Staying Put

The deal for Beckham is worth up to $18 million and includes $15 million guaranteed. The Ravens had been in contact with Beckham since last year and met with him at the annual league meeting two weeks ago. Baltimore then struck a deal a day before Beckham was scheduled to visit the New York Jets. With Jackson or without, the Ravens needed a wide receiver this offseason. Prior to signing Beckham, the group was led by Nelson Agholor and the promising but entirely unproven Rashod Bateman, a first-round pick in 2021 who is injury prone.

Enter Beckham, a 30-year-old former superstar coming off an ACL tear in Super Bowl LVI with the Rams that cost him the entirety of 2022. This also seems to be a signal from the front office to Jackson that the Ravens are committed to supercharging their new-look attack. Beckham told CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson recently that he was “feeling more love from the Ravens,” even though he was set to visit with the Jets on Monday. The Ravens traditionally have not spent big on free-agent wide receivers yet agreed to pay Beckham $4 million more per year than any receiver has gotten on the open market this offseason.

In his last full season in 2021, Beckham caught 44 passes for 537 yards and five touchdowns, winning Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams. Primed to add quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Jets have been viewed as the front-runner for Beckham for weeks.

Owner Steve Bisciotti had been in frequent communication with Beckham, “pitching him on the idea of coming to Baltimore, the support he would have with the team and the necessity of helping to square things with Lamar Jackson as well.” Now the duo has a chance to lead the next iteration of Ravens offense under new Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken, who Beckham played for in 2019 in Cleveland.

The Ravens are Beckham’s third team since the 2021 season and his fourth club overall. He played five years with the New York Giants after being taken 12th overall in the 2004 draft. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2019. Beckham had a turbulent stint in Cleveland and was released midway through the 2021 season. He then signed with the Rams and helped them secure a Super Bowl.

Jackson posted on Instagram a screenshot of a FaceTime call with the star wide receiver just a couple hours after news broke that Beckham had agreed to terms with the Ravens. Reading the caption on Jackson’s IG post, you’ll notice that it includes three emojis, and those emojis — two lightning bolts and a rocket ship — would seem to indicate that the QB is entirely on board with the signing.

None of the Ravens’ eight wide receivers on the roster (Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, Devin Duvernay, Tylan Wallace, James Proche II, Andy Isabella, Mike Thomas and Shemar Bridges) has ever had a 1,000-yard season. Beckham has registered five of them. Baltimore has ranked last in the NFL in receiving yards by wideouts in three of the past four seasons (2019, 2020 and 2022).

Jackson could sign his franchise tag tomorrow, and if he did that, he’d make $32.4 million for the 2023 season. If he did sign the tag, he’d still have until July 17 to try and work out a long-term deal with the team.

Baltimore has a wins total of over/under 8.5 this season on the NFL odds. The 2023 NFL schedule should be released next month.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?