After Odell Beckham Jr. agreed to join the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the star receiver partied with quarterback Lamar Jackson in Miami. However, OBJ says he never got assurances Jackson would definitely be in Baltimore this season.
"Didn't get any assurances for anything, you know life's uncertain," Beckham said at his introductory news conference on Thursday in Baltimore. "I think that we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, or the next day. We only know what's happened in the past."
Despite the near nihilist uncertainty in Beckham's response, he believes the former NFL Most Valuable Player will be the one throwing him the ball in 2023, noting he's "excited" about the possibility.
"My thoughts would be that he would be here," Beckham said. "I know that these two (Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh) want him to be here, and at the end of the day, that's going to be up to them."
DeCosta said he has spoken to Jackson since the QB made a trade request on March 2 but has not had discussions since the Beckham deal was inked.
"There's been interaction along the way, you know Lamar's in our plans, we love Lamar, our feelings about Lamar have not changed one bit since the end of the season," DeCosta said on Thursday. "We're hopeful still that we'll get a long-term deal done. He's the right player for this team to lead us to where we want to be. I think the locker room knows that, the organization knows that, I think the fanbase knows that. So it's ongoing, but I can't think of a situation where we wouldn't think that our best team is with Lamar Jackson on the team in September."
After failing to reach a long-term agreement with Jackson, the Ravens used the non-exclusive franchise tag on the QB. Jackson is permitted to discuss contracts with other clubs and sign an offer sheet, which Baltimore could match or it could allow Jackson to leave and get two first-round picks in exchange.
The landscape can always change, but with most teams publicly taking themselves out of the running to sign Jackson, the expectation -- at this point -- seems to be that Jackson will spend at least the 2023 season in Baltimore.
Adding a player like Beckham strengthens that thought process, given what OBJ brings on the field if fully healthy along with his friendship with the QB.
Beckham inked a one-year, $15 million contract with the Ravens, worth up to $18 million with incentives.
After suffering an ACL tear in Super Bowl LVI, the 30-year-old receiver sat out the entire 2022 campaign. In 14 total games with the Browns and Rams during the 2021 regular season, OBJ generated 537 yards on 44 catches with five touchdowns. He then added 21 grabs for 288 yards and two additional scores in L.A.'s postseason run.
After starting his career with three straight Pro Bowl seasons, it's been a rough go for Beckham the past several campaigns as he's dealt with multiple knee injuries. Beckham's last 1,000-plus-yard campaign came in 2019 in Cleveland under new Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
The Ravens believe they're getting a player ready to return to dominating the highlights.
"We're getting somebody who is ready to explode again," DeCosta said.
OBJ had one last message for Jackson.
"Lamar, if you're watching, I would love to get to work with you," Beckham said. "I'll talk to these guys over here. Hopefully, that gets done. I think when you think about the Ravens, you definitely think about Lamar, and I know that that's something I was excited about, that possibility. Life's not certain, just to keep it short."
