Odell Beckham Jr.’s decision to sign with the Los Angeles Rams came as a surprise, but it looks less like one the more we learn about the factors that went into it.
Reports have indicated that Beckham was very interested in joining the Packers, but Green Bay did not launch a particularly aggressive pursuit of him. We may now know why. According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Rams gave Beckham a deal with a base salary of $1.25 million with $3 million in incentives. While the Packers could have done the same, it would have risked making an already bad cap situation worse in 2022.
The Packers are facing an enormous cap bill in 2022. Their reworked contract with Aaron Rodgers basically ensured that, and even if Green Bay moves on from Rodgers, it is going to have to make some tough decisions to get under the salary cap. Adding Beckham could have exacerbated those issues, and that may have been why the Packers weren’t more aggressive in pursuing him.
It’s been reported that Beckham wanted to play for Green Bay, but the Packers offered much less than the Rams did. This is probably why the Packers were so conservative in their offer.
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