OBJ Appeals to Lamar Jackson to Stay in Baltimore

OBJ Appeals to Lamar Jackson to Stay in Baltimore

13 April, 2023

Odell Beckham Jr., a wide receiver just acquired by the Baltimore Ravens, stated during his opening press conference on Thursday that he intends to play with Lamar Jackson as his quarterback in the upcoming season.

He said, however, that prior to Beckham signing a contract with the Ravens, Jackson had not given him any guarantees that this would be the case.

“I didn’t get any assurances for everything,” Beckham told reporters. “Life’s uncertain. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow [or] the next day. … I’m just excited of the possibility of that. My thoughts would be that [Jackson] would be here.” Beckham told reporters, “I didn’t get any assurances for everything. “Life is a gamble. We don’t know what will occur tomorrow or the following day. … Just the thought of that excites me. My hunch is that [Jackson] would be present.”

Last month, Jackson made known that he had asked to be traded by the Ravens because of the ongoing contract negotiations between the former MVP and the group. He did, however, also congratulate Odell Beckham on his new deal in person and on FaceTime with the seasoned wide receiver. Jackson assisted in Beckham’s recruitment to the team, Beckham added on Thursday.

Beckham pointed to general manager Eric DeCosta and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh who were seated on either side of him and said, “I know that these two want him to be here.”

[The Lamar Jackson-Ravens impasse is a result of the difficult to find middle ground]

Soon after Jackson made his trade request public on March 27, Harbaugh emphasized his respect for Jackson and his certainty that the quarterback would stay in Baltimore when speaking to media at the NFL owners meetings.

While DeCosta and Harbaugh declined to address concerns about Jackson during a pre-draft press conference last week, the Ravens are allegedly not ruling out selecting a quarterback in the first round as the impasse between Jackson and the team has continued.

The No. 22 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft belongs to the Ravens.