Dolphins, OBJ Agree to 1-Year Contract

Odell Beckham is moving from the ‘Queen City’ to the ‘305’. He is looking to make a splash in South Beach.

The star and celebrity receiver’s next landing spot will be in Miami, as Beckham is expected to ink a one-year deal with the Dolphins worth up to $8.25 million, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Friday, according to sources.

Beckham went on an official visit with the Dolphins in March, but the parties were unable to hash out an agreement at that time. General manager Chris Grier said prior to the NFL draft that took place last week, there was “nothing imminent” on a deal with the three-time Pro Bowler out of LSU; despite selecting two wide receivers in the draft, Grier did not close the door on the possibility of signing Beckham after its conclusion.

“We always look at opportunities and work through it,” Grier said.
“We’re always looking to add to the roster and have the most competitive roster we can to make the team better; as we’ve always talked, competition is what breeds excellence. For us, we’ll keep looking, like we’ve said, post-draft, like we’ve done here in the past. We’ll keep looking and talking to people and see what happens.”

The 31-year-old multiple-time Pro Bowler is now set to play for his fifth NFL team. Over the past three seasons, Beckham has been on three rosters, the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens, but has been plagued by injuries and played in just 28 games.

Beckham will be slotted as the team’s No. 3 receiver behind ‘The Cheetah’ Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Though Beckham and the Dolphins have been linked for a while, it is a somewhat shocking move following the 2024 NFL Draft, as Miami added Virginia wide receiver Malik Washington and USC WR Tahj Washington with sixth- and seventh-round selections, respectively.

Coach Mike McDaniel’s offense can never have too many options, it would seem.

Having earned each of his three Pro Bowls over his first three NFL seasons with the New York Giants, Beckham’s five-year run with Big Blue ended in a trade to the Browns ahead of the 2019 campaign. He produced his last 1,000-yard season in 2019 for Cleveland, but was granted his request for a release in 2021 and was signed by the Rams.

With the Rams, Beckham’s star shined brightly again, particularly with a touchdown catch and sensational first half in a Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals. However, in that same Super Bowl, he tore his ACL. That forced him to miss all of the 2022 season despite multiple free-agent visits.

Beckham returned to action with the Ravens last year after garnering an eye-popping $18 million deal for one season. He missed some time due to an ankle injury in 2023 and finished his one year in Baltimore with 35 catches (fourth on the team) for 565 yards (second on the team) and three touchdowns. Beckham hauled in some highlight-reel catches as he did often in past, but also experienced some drops on easy balls. He also showed he still had some giddy up left in his step. The consistency was never there, though, as he had eight contests with two or fewer catches in the regular season. In the Ravens’ two postseason games, he was a relative no-show, having just four grabs for 34 yards combined.

With the Dolphins, he will join a prolific offense quarterbacked by Tua Tagovailoa that has no shortage of playmakers, so he could very much be a veteran luxury capable of big plays here and there and a presence in the locker room. Whether he can consistently produce at his Pro Bowl level of yesteryear is unlikely, but McDaniel’s offense would certainly be a prime place to flourish as he once did.