NFL Rumors: Odell Beckham Had 'Clear Understanding' Lamar Jackson Would Be Ravens QB

After the Baltimore Ravens signed star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Sunday, it appears the team is one step closer to keeping quarterback Lamar Jackson for the 2023 season.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Jackson was active in recruiting Beckham to Baltimore despite announcing that he requested to be traded last month.

"In his recruitment, it's not like Lamar said, 'All right, I'm about to do a deal, we're good to go,' but there was a clear understanding that when they talk about the quarterback that's gonna be throwing passes to Odell, that it's probably gonna be Lamar," Rapoport stated.

After Beckham's signing was announced on Sunday, Jackson posted photos to Instagram celebrating the deal. The photos included a screenshot of a FaceTime conversation between the two of them. Rapoport noted that "the two are friends."

The Ravens spent big to bring in Beckham, giving him a one-year deal reportedly worth up to $18 million. While the 30-year-old is coming off a second ACL surgery that led to him sitting out the entire 2022 season, he's expected to fill a huge need for Baltimore as the team's presumptive new No. 1 receiver.

Since being drafted in 2018, Jackson has been the focal point of the Ravens offense because of his incredible dual-threat ability, which helped propel the team to the most dangerous rush offense in the NFL. Unfortunately, the team's passing attack hasn't matched that level, as 2021 was the only season in the last five years when the team had a player record 1,000 receiving yards, with Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown both achieving the feat.

The Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson amid failed negotiations over a long-term contract. Despite being one of the top talents in the league, Jackson hasn't received interest from other teams looking to sign him to an offer sheet or give up assets for him in a trade.

Perhaps his best course of action would be sticking with Baltimore for another year, and Beckham's presence should make that option more appealing.