OBJ Won’t Be Joining the Vikings
Josh Frey
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On Sunday, news broke that Odell Beckham Jr. had found himself a new team for the 2023 season. He is signing with a purple team, but that team is not the Vikings. Instead, the veteran wide receiver is joining the Baltimore Ravens.
Throughout the past 12 months or so, there have been rumors that OBJ could join the Vikings. His mother is from Minnesota, and he has a friendship with Justin Jefferson as well as an LSU connection. Instead, he joins Baltimore for his 10th year in the NFL.
Of course, OBJ sat out the 2022 season after tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI. Prior to that injury, the receiver was on track to win himself a Super Bowl MVP award, catching 2 passes for 52 yards and a touchdown just in the first half. Los Angeles went on to win that game, 23-20.
Beckham was drafted with the 12th overall pick in 2014 by the New York Giants and burst onto the scene with 91 receptions, 1305 yards, and 12 TDs during his rookie season. This included his famous one-handed catch which has gone down as arguably the most impressive catch in NFL history.
After being a Pro Bowler in each of his first three NFL seasons from 2014-16, injuries quickly began getting the better of the talented pass-catcher, though. He played 12 or fewer games in three of the four seasons from 2017-2020. His injuries included a fractured ankle that held him to just four games in 2017 and a torn ACL that forced him to play only seven games in 2020.
2021 wasn’t his most productive season, splitting time with the Browns and Rams, but he at least remained healthy throughout most of the season. He finished the regulars season with 14 games played, and he recorded 27 receptions for 305 yards and 5 TDs. However, he really earned his money in the playoffs last season by catching 21 passes for 288 yards and 2 TDs over the four games during the Rams Super Bowl run.
Now, he joins the Ravens on a 1-year contract worth up to $18 million as reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Vikings do need to find a WR2, but this simply wasn’t in their price range without making some serious roster moves.
That being said, Minnesota can still go find a guy to take reps at wide receiver whether it be via the 2023 NFL Draft or free agency. Reports have been swirling that the Arizona Cardinals may ultimately release DeAndre Hopkins after not getting the trade compensation that they’ve been looking for.
Or, perhaps the Vikings are fine rolling into the 2023 season with Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn as their main guys at receiver. We shall soon find out what Minnesota has planned for this position group when the draft gets underway two and a half weeks from now, but after all the rumors, it won’t be OBJ to the Vikings after all.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.