Sean McVay: 'I really want Odell back on our team'
The Los Angeles Rams are mounting up to defend their Super Bowl title in 2022 but the team still hasn’t come to an agreement with star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Head coach Sean McVay sent a message to the former LSU Tiger this week, reaffirming his commitment to getting him a deal for another season.
“I really want Odell back on our team,” McVay said on The Rich Eisen Show. “He’s a guy that, in a short amount of time, we were able to develop a really special relationship. I thought he brought a great spark to our team. I thought he played really well. He’s a great teammate. Without a doubt, want to get Odell back here. That’s the goal and continuing to work toward a solution of him re-signing with the Rams.”
Beckham has expressed equal interest in staying with the Rams for 2022, however, he wants a deal commensurate with his experience. The wideout tweeted last week that he wants to stay with the Rams, but he “just can’t play for free.”
Beckham joined the Rams this past season after the Cleveland Browns waived him six games into the year. He played eight regular season games for Los Angeles, compiling 27 catches for 305 yards and five touchdowns. The LSU product was also a key part of their postseason run and caught the first touchdown of Super Bowl 56. He finished the game with two catches for 52 yards despite exiting in the first half.
“He is truly a great teammate, made so many impactful plays,” McVay said. “It was a shame to see him go down in that game but man, he sure still made an impact with those two catches that he did have.”
Beckham still available in free agency
The injury that Odell Beckham suffered during the Super Bowl was far from the first of his career. The receiver recorded 1,000-yard receiving season in five of his first six years in the league, and the only season he didn’t was in 2017 when he played just four games after fracturing his ankle. He again tore his ACL in 2020 after playing in just seven games.
Given his past struggles to stay on the field, some teams could be wary to bring him on, especially if he can’t play for most of the season. But there is also clear potential for a high reward, as we saw with the Rams this past year. There will surely be at least one Super Bowl contender willing to take a chance on the talented receiver, it simply seems to be a matter of who.
The 2014 first-round draft pick had a one-year, $1.25 million deal with the Rams in 2021.