The latest on Dolphins and Odell Beckham Jr.

The Dolphins made an offer to Odell Beckham Jr. weeks ago and formalized an agreement last week, showing that they considered the No. 3 wide receiver post a priority. The former superstar’s terms with Miami represent a decrease in value because his base Ravens payout is being reduced by $12 million as part of the transaction.

 

Beckham will sign a $15MM contract with Miami after driving Baltimore to promise him that he would receive $3MM. Though no link between the nine-year veteran and another team surfaced this offseason, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports that the wide receiver is thought to have turned down greater money elsewhere.

A year after Beckham’s contract with the Ravens had a maximum value of $18 million, it now has a maximum value of $8 million with the Dolphins. In 2023, Beckham took advantage of Lamar Jackson’s holdout. According to SI.com’s Albert Breer, the two-time MVP at the time was close to ending a protracted contract that included an eleventh-hour trade request, and he wanted the experienced wide receiver on the team. (The Ravens did not formally guarantee Jackson’s return when Beckham signed.) The Ravens complied, but the result did not live up to the team’s expectations.

In just one of the 16 games that Beckham played last season, the Ravens utilized him as a part-time player, giving him a 60% snap percentage on offense. The target, who is 31 years old, caught 35 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns. It makes sense that clubs see Beckham as declining; speaking with an executive whose team considered signing the wide receiver, it was evident that the equipment he had previously showcased was missing. Another executive did not go as far, believing that Beckham’s play got better as the previous season went on.

With a career-high 16.1 yards per catch, OBJ finished 12th in the NFL. His yards per target (8.8) and yards per route run (1.92) were both among the top 35 last season. Although the former Giants Pro Bowler has probably turned in his last 1,000-yard campaign (he has five), the Dolphins seem content with the Beckham the Ravens got.

From the beginning of his Giants career until his trade, Beckham was essentially the team’s top wide receiver. He went on to have two more seasons with 1,000 yards in Cleveland. Alongside Jarvis Landry, OBJ was a 1-A for the Browns. During his brief but unforgettable stay in Los Angeles, the three-time Pro Bowler lined up as the Rams’ WR2. After Mark Andrews was injured, the Ravens decided to use him as their No. 2 pass catcher, behind Zay Flowers. However, Beckham will be the Dolphins’ official third wide receiver (WR3), behind Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. This will be unfamiliar ground for the previous top-10 selection.

Last season, there was a significant difference between Miami’s second- and third-best pass catchers. 1,014 yards from Waddle (in 14 games). Durham Smythe, a tight end, finished the previous season as Miami’s third-leading target with 366 yards. Cedrick Wilson Jr., the Dolphins’ projected No. 3 wide receiver, finished with 296 yards. With Beckham, the squad hopes to close the gap that separates the two pace merchants from the rest of its receiving cadre.Wilson, who eventually found success with the Saints, was cut by the organization, and a sixth-round pick was used to select Malik Washington, a 5-foot-8 Virginia wideout prospect. River Cracraft, Braxton Berrios, and former third-round pick Anthony Schwartz are still with the organization. However, the Dolphins anticipate that Beckham will produce stronger WR3 work than what they saw in the previous campaign.