Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Odell Beckham Jr. says he would take pay cut to remain with Rams

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Dan Benton | Last updated 2/12/22

Odell Beckham Jr. has forced his way out of two organizations, placing the blame for those failures on everyone but himself. But now that he’s with the Los Angeles Rams and headed to the Super Bowl, he feels right “at home.”

That’s a significant admission for Beckham, who very nearly passed over the Rams in favor of the New England Patriots or New Orleans Saints. In the end OBJ made the right choice and hitched his wagon to a Super Bowl-bound team.

But will that ride in Los Angeles continue after Sunday?

Beckham is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March and following his career resurgence, is likely to draw the interest of several teams. And those teams could very well throw a boatload of cash at him. That, of course, is problematic for the Rams, who are projected to be more than $8.5 million over the 2022 cap.

So, would Beckham do something he’s never done before and take a pay cut to help a team out?

I asked Odell Beckham Jr. about his future beyond Sunday and if he’d sacrifice salary to stick with the Rams. The answer was a quick “yeah, of course!” with a smile.

“This place, it feels good in my heart. It feels like a home.”

— Nick Shook (@TheNickShook) February 11, 2022

“Yeah, of course! This place, it feels good in my heart. It feels like a home,” Beckham said.

Los Angeles feels like home for Beckham because he’s no longer the lightning rod he was in Cleveland or New York. Now, he’s just a secondary option at wide receiver on a team littered with superstar talent. He doesn’t have to shoulder the pressure of lifting everyone up, and his miscues no longer get thrust under a microscope and picked apart.

Life is easier for Beckham in Los Angeles. But money talks and at 29 years old, the opportunities for big-money, long-term contracts are running out. That’s something Beckham’s agent is likely to remind him of come March, so we’ll see if he stays true to his word and gives the Rams a discount.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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