Odell Beckham Jr. Rumors: Ravens Contract Viewed as 'Extreme' by NFL Insider

The Baltimore Ravens ponied up big bucks on Sunday to finally get Odell Beckham Jr. off the market, and teams around the NFL are shocked.

"That number is wild. Sounds like they just gave whatever the agent wanted. ... Extreme is a great description. Not even sure overpay is the right word," one executive told Ben Standig of The Athletic.

The Ravens signed Beckham to a one-year, $15 million contract that could be worth up to $18 million.

Most considered the contract to be over Beckham's market value given he missed the entire 2022 season while recovering from a torn ACL. The three-time Pro Bowler has not reached 1,000 yards since 2019 and hasn't been a Pro Bowl selection since 2016.

The Ravens' decision to sign Beckham is an interesting one given their continued stalemate with Lamar Jackson. Baltimore used its non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson in March, a move that allows the 2019 NFL MVP to negotiate a contract with other teams.

There has been no movement on the Jackson front over the past month, with teams strangely showing little interest in one of the game's most dynamic players. Jackson publicly requested a trade in a social media post March 27, but he may have to wait until after the NFL draft for teams to become more aggressive in their pursuit.

Signing Beckham may be a showing of good faith from the Baltimore organization, though it's fair to wonder if that money could have been better spent elsewhere. Beckham tore the same ACL in back-to-back seasons and was not performing at a superstar level when those injuries took place.

It's possible the Ravens invested more in Beckham's name value than his actual production.