Revealed: Why Odell Beckham Jr. did not sign for the Green Bay Packers
When Odell Beckham Jr. cleared waivers after being released by the Cleveland Browns, a host of teams were vying for his services. The choice of teams for the 29-year-old receiver was narrowed down to the Green Bay Packers and the LA Rams.
Ultimately, it was Sean McVay and the Rams who won the battle to sign the former LSU standout. It was thought that Beckham Jr. was intent on signing with the Packers, but it was a surprise he chose LA.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the reason that Beckham Jr. decided to sign with the Rams and not the Packers was down to money. Schefter stated that the Packers did not offer Beckham Jr. a wage above the minimum veteran wage, which is $1.075 million for a full season.
Sean McVay says he expects Odell Beckham Jr. to play a big role this week. https://t.co/ExBloml2jb
Clearly, Beckham Jr. is worth far more than that, and the receiver wanted a higher salary to wear the Packers uniform. The organization was then asked to increase the offer for OBJ, which they decided not to do. This paved the way for the Rams to swoop in and secure the services of the receiver.
Sean McVay and the Rams signed Beckham to a one-year, $1.25 million deal, which includes $3 million in incentives.
Odell Beckham Jr. has his first catch as a Ram.
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Had Green Bay chosen to up their offer for Beckham Jr., it would have been fascinating to see just where the star receiver would have landed. Choosing between the frozen tundra that is Lambeau Field and the sunny skies of Los Angeles would be a no-brainer for most, but it was clear that Beckham Jr. was interested in linking up with Davante Adams & Co.
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In his only game for the Rams, Beckham Jr. caught two passes for 18 yards in the team's blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The bye came at a good time for both the Rams and Beckham Jr. as it allowed the three-time Pro Bowler to acclimatize to the Rams style of offense.
While up and going, Beckham Jr. can be a valuable contributor to Matthew Stafford and can also help take some of the load off Cooper Kupp. With the loss of Robert Woods to a dreaded ACL injury, Beckham Jr. will be needed in the run-in to the playoffs.