Ravens Should Move Past Considering Odell Beckham Jr. Reunion

One former Baltimore Ravens star is reportedly looking to get back into the game.

Dec 25, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) stands on the field before the start of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Odell Beckham Jr. is on the job market and looking for one more shot at the NFL, but his return bid is finally backed by a little bit of tangible interest for a change.

Someone as flashy as the former star wide receiver with such a magnet for drama could never stay out of the limelight for long, even if he tried. But for Beckham, football can never be too far, and he made the most of his appearance in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, memorably pulling down a Jayden Daniels jump-ball for a back-of-the-end zone touchdown with one-hand, just like old times.

The performance in an exhibition game alongside other non-NFL players offered zero long-term stakes on the surface, but according to some league insiders, Beckham's well-preserved athleticism was just what front offices needed to see in finally considering one more contract for the veteran wideout.

Free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. has received renewed interest in recent days after his showing at Tom Brady’s Fanatics flag football game.

Beckham was one of the most impressive players on the field and fully intends to play in 2026, per sources. pic.twitter.com/PTiMvcDWyo

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 24, 2026

Is Beckham's Baltimore Homecoming Worth Considering?

As impressive as his token catch animation can look in a vacuum, it's important to consider where OBJ left off statistically as a contributing member of the NFL.

He's only seen action in two seasons since winning 2022's Super Bowl LVI, a game in which Beckham caught a touchdown shortly before tearing his ACL. He sat out the entire following campaign while recovering from injury and picking his next destination, eventually settling on the Ravens by Lamar Jackson's own request.

Aug 12, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (left) greets wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr (right) on the sideline during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Beckham was serviceable in a platoon role, notching 565 yards and 35 receptions in six starts across 14 appearances, but clearly a far cry from the game-wrecking red zone threat he was a decade prior. One of the game's all-time great young receivers played just one more season after that, a wildly uninspiring shortened stint with the Miami Dolphins, before going unsigned last summer.

Some fans of the Ravens looking to act on the team's admittedly-shallow receiver room, or Baltimorians just nostalgic for that tragic '23 squad, may talk themselves into another go-around with Beckham in the weeks between the slow chug of free agency and the NFL Draft, but he's probably not what the reinvigorated front office has in mind.

For one, he didn't exactly arrive cheap the first time around, requiring $15 million to please all involved parties. He may not go for that much again after another precious year lost, and even if he did, he can't stack up as a routine threat to some of the other receiver options on the market, including the much more consistent and less-baggage-laden DeAndre Hopkins.

Even if he "fully intends to play in 2026" like Jordan Schultz reports, whether he's a proper fit with teams he was previously a member of remains to be seen.

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