NFL Rumors: Odell Beckham Jr. Unlikely to Sign Ravens Contract; Michael Thomas Linked

The Baltimore Ravens may replace one high-profile veteran wide receiver with another this offseason.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday the AFC North team "likely won't re-sign Odell Beckham Jr." and noted multiple scouts highlighted Michael Thomas as a potential fit in Baltimore.

Thomas will be a free agent when his contract with the New Orleans Saints voids, and Fowler pointed out the Ravens "value established veterans at the receiver position."

Beckham was just that during a one-year stint in 2023 when he helped the team win the AFC North with 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns.

Like Beckham, Thomas is a big name in large part because of his previous production. The 2016 second-round pick was once one of the best wide receivers in the NFL but hasn't been as productive of late in large part because of injuries.

He played seven games in 2020, missed the 2021 season, appeared in three games in 2022 and then played 10 games this past season. But the Ravens and other teams will surely be intrigued by the possibility of the 31-year-old rediscovering some of the old form that allowed him to win Offensive Player of the Year in 2019 with 149 catches for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.

It was Thomas' fourth straight season with more than 1,100 receiving yards to start his career and remains his best selling point ahead of free agency.

The Ravens wouldn't need him to carry the offense like the Saints asked him to do at times during that stretch, and he likely wouldn't face many double-teams given the presence of Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews.

Throw in reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson getting him the ball, and Baltimore sounds like quite the landing spot for Thomas at this point of his career, just like it was for Beckham in 2023.