After a series of injuries that stalled his promising career, NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. signed with a new team, the Baltimore Ravens. Yet Beckham and others within the sports industry cannot help but speculate “what if” he never had been injured.
“I wish we could rewind back the time and he [had] never gotten hurt. I think he might have been the first $200 million deal,” Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson recently said in a conversation with Cam Newton on their podcast, “The Uno & Ocho Show.” “He does more than just play football,” Johnson added. “He’s bigger than that.”
Beckham, who was drafted by the New York Giants in 2014, reportedly has a current net worth of $40 million. During his five-season tenure with the New York Giants, he broke an NFL history record when he became the fastest player to achieve 4,000 career-receiving yards and 200 career receptions. Beckham is known for his one-handed catches, which inspired memes of “Things Odell Could Catch.” Beckham was acquired by the Cleveland Browns and, after one season, the Los Angeles Rams. Yet two torn ACLs and other injuries began to hamper Beckham’s ability to play. And, in 2022, he was unable to play on any team.
At a recent press conference, Beckham acknowledged Johnson’s analysis, but also remained positive for the future.
“I hate the coulda, woulda, shoulda,” Beckham told WBFF-TV Fox45 in Baltimore. “I don’t know about $200 million. I would have definitely loved to have that. I would have loved to seen what would have happened in my career if I had never been hurt. But I think God placed this journey for me for me to be here specifically. To be exactly who I am today. The adversity I’ve been through will allow me to … handle it a little bit better.”
Upcoming NFL Season and Reflecting on the Past
Beckham signed a $15 million guaranteed deal, one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens in April. Just this week, he was observed during a joint practice between the Ravens and Washington Commanders. Spectators and other athletes note Beckham’s speed as his greatest strength.
“He’s a lot faster than people give him credit for,” NFL player Lamar Jackson told CBS NFL. “A lot faster.”
During the practice, Beckham outperformed Kendall Fuller and Emmanuel Forbes on two separate occasions.
Beckham agrees that he is competitive, but points out that he enjoys healthy sportsmanship with his teammates.
“Yeah, there’s some things I wouldn’t do to my teammates that I would do to somebody else,” Beckham told CBS Sports NFL. “It’s that fine line of competing but keeping each other healthy and safe and just being able to find work. It was great to be able to go against another team and different competition. I think the last few days were very beneficial on both sides.”