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One of the biggest stories of NFL free agency came to an end on Sunday when Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
The deal, worth $18 million for just one year, surprised some. One NFL analyst called it “maybe the worst contract I’ve ever seen the Ravens give out.”
But it did make one very, very important person happy in Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson.
Prior to signing with the Ravens, Beckham Jr. had been linked with the Dallas Cowboys as well as both New York franchises.
And now it appears that his preference would have been to sign with the Jets, but that New York opted against pursuing the veteran at the going rate.
Jets Turned Down Chance To Match Odell Beckham Jr. Contract
Connor J. Hughes of SportsNet New York reports that Beckham gave the Jets a chance to match the offer laid out by the Ravens. But New York declined.
Odell Beckham Jr. called the #Jets last night & gave them a chance to match the offer he got from the #Ravens, per sources.
They were never going that high, though. Again, with Jets, he’s their No. 3. Ravens gave him a better deal. He took it.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) April 9, 2023
“Odell Beckham Jr. called the #Jets last night & gave them a chance to match the offer he got from the #Ravens, per sources. They were never going that high, though. Again, with Jets, he’s their No. 3. Ravens gave him a better deal. He took it,” Hughes said in a tweet.
Now the questions becomes what that means for the Jets and their pursuit of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has made no secret about the fact that he wants to play in New York next season. But he also reportedly gave the Jets a shopping list that included Beckham.
With Beckham off the board, does that change the scenario for Rodgers?
Packers president Mark Murphy seems to believe a deal will get done in due time. But as the talks linger for longer and longer, more questions will continue to appear.