Former LA Rams DB John Johnson III questions OBJ fit in offense

Rebuttal

Let’s hit pause on this scenario for one moment and hold this up to the light. The LA Rams added Odell Beckham Jr. for the remainder of the 2021 NFL season. That is, by all estimates, seven regular-season games and whatever the Rams can do in the postseason.  In the best-case scenario, the LA Rams will follow the same trajectory as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and win three playoff games and the Super Bowl. That sums up to a total of just 11 games.

Not four years. Not two years. Not even a full season. 11 games.

Didn’t the LA Rams trade for Jacksonville Jaguars Dante Fowler Jr. in 2018, a player who was suspended for a week that season and was labeled an early bust by some? Fowler would go on to help the Rams compete in Super Bowl LIII.

Rams roster filled with passionate players

The same Rams team traded for defensive back Jalen Ramsey, another defensive player who also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and who was also discontented on that team?

In short, the Rams trade for game-changing players at or near the end of their contracts. That allows both the player and the team to work on optimizing the production of that player quickly. If the fit doesn’t work, Odell Beckham Jr. will be a free agent in just four months. That hardly seems to be enough time for a meltdown in the locker room.

In fact, the way that the Rams contract is currently structured is to minimize OBJ’s compensation during the regular season, but incentivize the heck out of the contract in post-season play. That type of contract is wise on the LA Rams part, as it will focus all of OBJ’s efforts on getting the team into the Super Bowl. Then, let OBJ want the football. If he does well in that game, he will certainly get plenty of passes thrown his way.