Odell Beckham Jr.

As a true freshman at LSU in 2011, Beckham started nine of 14 games. He made his collegiate debut on September 3, 2011, against the #3 Oregon Ducks. Against the Ducks, he had two receptions for 10 yards in the 40–27 victory.[14] Against the #16 West Virginia Mountaineers on September 24, Beckham scored his first career collegiate touchdown, a 52-yard reception from Jarrett Lee, in the 47–21 victory.[15] In the SEC Championship against the #12 Georgia Bulldogs, Beckham was held without a catch but did have two punt returns in the 42–10 victory.[16] The Tigers finished with a 13–0 record and made the BCS National Championship game in Beckham's freshman season.[17] In the game, which was a rematch against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Beckham had five receptions for 38 yards in the 21–0 defeat.[18] Overall, in his freshman season, Beckham finished second on the team with 41 receptions for 475 yards and tied for third with two receiving touchdowns.[19] He was named a freshman All-SEC selection.[20]

As a sophomore in 2012, Beckham started 12 of 13 games for the Tigers. In the season opener against the North Texas Mean Green, he had his first collegiate career punt return touchdown, a 70-yard return in the first quarter of the 41–14 victory.[21] On September 29, he had his first career collegiate game with over 100 yards against the Towson Tigers. He had five receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns in the 38–22 victory over the Tigers.[22] On November 17, against SEC West rival Ole Miss, he was held to only two receptions for 13 yards, but he had an 89-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter help tie the game late. The Tigers would end up beating the Rebels by a score of 41–35.[23] In the regular season finale against the Arkansas Razorbacks, he had four receptions for 112 receiving yards in the 20–13 victory.[24] LSU finished with a 10–2 record and qualified for the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Clemson.[25] Beckham had three receptions for 40 receiving yards as LSU lost 25–24 on a game-winning field goal by Clemson as time expired.[26] He finished first on the team in receiving yards with 713, second in receptions with 43, only behind Jarvis Landry's 56 receptions, and third on the team with two receiving touchdowns.[27]

As a junior in 2013, he combined with Jarvis Landry to form one of the most productive wide receiver duos in college football.[28][29] On August 31, in the Tigers' regular season opener, he had five receptions for 118 receiving yards in the 37–27 victory over #20 TCU at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.[30] On September 7, in the game against UAB, Beckham had five receptions for 136 yards and three touchdowns in the 56–17 victory.[31] In the same game, he returned a failed field goal attempt for a record-long 109 yards and a touchdown, and this record would be tied by Auburn's Chris Davis later that year against the Alabama Crimson Tide.[32] On October 5, against SEC West rival Mississippi State, Beckham had nine receptions for a then-career high 179 receiving yards with two touchdowns in the 59–26 victory.[33] Against the Furman Paladins on October 26, Beckham had six receptions for a collegiate career-high 204 yards and two touchdowns in the 48–16 victory.[34] He was a first and second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection.[35] In his role as a wide receiver and return specialist, Beckham was named the winner of the 2013 Paul Hornung Award, presented annually to the most versatile player in major college football.[36] He finished the 2013 season with 57 receptions for 1,117 yards and eight touchdowns.[37] He led the SEC with 32 kickoff returns for 845 net yards in the 2013 season.[38]

After the season, he decided to forgo his senior season and entered the 2014 NFL Draft.[39][40]

After missing a majority of the training camp, preseason, and the first four games of the season because of a hamstring injury, Beckham made his debut on October 5, 2014, in Week 5 against the Atlanta Falcons recording four receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown in the 30–20 victory.[47] In his first Monday Night Football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Beckham caught eight passes for 156 yards in the 40–24 loss.[48] Against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10, he caught seven passes for 108 yards in the 38–17 loss.[49] On November 23, 2014, during a game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, Beckham had 10 catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns, including a one-handed touchdown reception hailed as the "catch of the year", with Cris Collinsworth, Tony Dungy, Victor Cruz and LeBron James all saying that it was one of the best catches ever.[50][51][52][53][54] Beckham made this catch despite a pass interference penalty called on Dallas cornerback Brandon Carr while diving backwards with full extension of his right hand using only three fingers. The Giants still lost by a score of 31–28 due to a late fourth quarter touchdown throw from Tony Romo to Dez Bryant.[55] On December 8, 2014, the Pro Football Hall of Fame put Beckham's game-worn jersey from his famous one-handed catch game against Dallas on display.[56]

Beckham finished November with 38 receptions, 593 receiving yards and two touchdowns.[57] He had at least 90 yards receiving in all five games in November, setting an NFL rookie record for a calendar month.[58] He also broke Bill Groman's and Randy Moss's rookie record for consecutive games with 90 or more receiving yards in a season.[59] In Week 14, Beckham extended his 90 receiving yard streak to 6 games, recording 11 receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown in a 36–7 victory over the Tennessee Titans. He also joined Bill Groman as the only rookies to have over 700 receiving yards in a six-game span.[60]

On December 14, 2014, Beckham became the first NFL rookie with at least 12 catches, 140 yards, and three scores in a game racking up 143 receiving yards, 12 catches and three touchdowns.[61] With his 12 receptions, Beckham tied former Giants tight end Mark Bavaro for the most in a game by a Giants rookie; Bavaro had 12 catches against the Cincinnati Bengals on October 13, 1985. Beckham's 143 receiving yards marked the fifth time he topped 100 receiving yards during the 2014 season, extending his own Giants record and setting an NFL rookie record of over 90 receiving yards in seven straight games. With 61 catches over seven games, Beckham also set the record for most ever receptions by an NFL rookie in a seven-game span. On December 21, 2014, Beckham extended his streak of 90 or more receiving yards in game to 8 when he racked up 148 receiving yards on 8 receptions and also hauled in 2 touchdowns vs. St. Louis Rams, including an 80-yard score, the longest touchdown reception by a Giants rookie in franchise history.[62] He also extended his streak of games with 130+ receiving yards and at least one receiving touchdown to three.[63]

In the regular season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, Beckham had a career-high 185 receiving yards, which was the most in a game by a rookie in franchise history.[64] Mark Bavaro previously held the record when he had 176 receiving yards against the Cincinnati Bengals on October 13, 1985.[65] Beckham also had 12 receptions and a receiving touchdown against the Eagles, which tied Torry Holt for most games with at least ten receptions, 100 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown in a season with four. Beckham finished his impressive rookie campaign with 91 receptions, 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in just 12 games. He's the fourth rookie in NFL history to have at least 1,300 receiving yards in a season, and the only rookie to have at least 90 receptions and 10 receiving touchdowns in a season.[66] Beckham was named a first-alternate for the 2015 Pro Bowl.[67] On January 7, 2015, Beckham replaced Calvin Johnson in Pro Bowl due to injury. He was the first Giants rookie wide receiver in franchise history and the first Giants rookie since Jeremy Shockey in 2002 to make the Pro Bowl.[68] He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.[69]

Beckham revealed after the Pro Bowl game that during the 2014 season he suffered from two hamstring injuries before the season, one occurring in an early-offseason workout and another in a preseason game. Beckham stated, "I was never fully healthy, I was just trying to manage it and maintain it, It's still not right. [I'm] still working on it."[70][71]

Beckham earned numerous accolades after the season, which sportswriters hailed as one of the greatest ever by a rookie.[72][73] On January 31, 2015, Beckham was named Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.[74] He was also awarded the 2014 Pro Football Writers Association Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.[75]

On May 13, 2015, Beckham was voted to the cover of Madden NFL 16, beating out Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots.[76] Beckham is the youngest player ever to grace the cover of Madden.[77]

Early in the season, Beckham had a strong game against the Atlanta Falcons with seven receptions for 146 yards and one touchdown in the 24–20 defeat.[78] On October 11, against the San Francisco 49ers, he had seven receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown in the 30–27 victory.[79] In a 52–49 shootout with the New Orleans Saints in Week 8, Beckham had eight receptions for 130 yards and three touchdowns.[80] His performance against the Saints was the first of six consecutive games for him with at least 100 receiving yards. After recording 105 receiving yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the following game, he had 104 yards, which included an 87-yard receiving touchdown, in a 27–26 loss to the then-undefeated New England Patriots.[81][82] In the next game, against the Washington Redskins, he had nine receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown.[83] In the next game, a 23–20 loss to the New York Jets, he had six receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown.[84] Against the Miami Dolphins in Week 14, Beckham had a season-high 166 yards receiving and two touchdowns in the 31–24 victory.[85] During the Week 15 game against the Carolina Panthers, Beckham was involved in multiple confrontations with cornerback Josh Norman. During the matchup, Beckham was flagged for four penalties, including three personal foul penalties. Beckham was held to no receptions in the first half, but he finished the game with six receptions for 76 receiving yards, which included a game-tying touchdown as the Giants lost to the Panthers by a score of 38-35.[86][87] On December 21, 2015, the NFL Disciplinary Committee suspended Beckham one game without pay for multiple violations of safety-related playing rules.[88] He appealed the decision, but the suspension was upheld.[89] In 15 games, Beckham finished the season with career highs of 1,450 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.[90] The Giants finished with a 6–10 record and missed the playoffs.[91] He was a Pro Bowl selection for a second year in a row and was ranked 10th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[92]

Beckham entered the 2016 season with a new head coach, Ben McAdoo, after Tom Coughlin resigned from his position as the Giants' head coach.[93] On September 17, Beckham was fined $12,154 for a dance-celebration during Week 1 against the Cowboys.[94] On September 25, he was fined $36,000 for a blindside hit on safety Kenny Vaccaro in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.[95] During Week 3 against the Washington Redskins, featuring Josh Norman, Beckham became the fastest player to reach 200 receptions by doing so in only 30 games. He finished the game with seven receptions for 121 receiving yards as the Giants lost a close game 27–29.[96][97][98][99] In Week 6, Beckham caught eight passes for a career-high 222 yards with two touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens, leading the Giants to a 27–23 victory.[100] In Week 13 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had ten receptions for 100 receiving yards in the 24–14 loss.[101] In Week 16, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had 11 receptions for 150 receiving yards in the 24–19 loss.[102] In 2016, Beckham started all 16 games for the first time in his career and finished with 101 receptions, which was a career-high, 1,367 receiving yards, and ten touchdowns.[103] He was a Pro Bowl selection for a third year in a row.[104] The Giants finished 11–5 in 2016, clinching a Wild Card spot, and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2011, but lost 13–38 to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round. Beckham had four receptions for 28 yards in the loss.[105] After the game, a frustrated Beckham punched a hole in the wall in the visiting teams' locker room. The Giants agreed to pay for damages and repairs were done ten days later.[106] He was ranked eighth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[107]

Beckham speaking to Browns head coach Hue Jackson in 2017

On April 24, 2017, the Giants exercised Beckham's fifth-year option.[108]

In the preseason, Beckham suffered an ankle sprain against the Cleveland Browns.[109] Due to the injury, Beckham missed the regular season opener, but returned in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, finishing with 36 receiving yards as the Giants lost 10–24.[110][111] In the next game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had 79 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns,[112] and was fined $12,154 for a celebration.[113] During Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Beckham finished with 97 receiving yards and a touchdown until leaving the game with an apparent leg injury.[114] It was later revealed that he suffered a fractured left ankle.[115] The next day, the Giants announced that Beckham would undergo surgery to repair the fracture, keeping him out the remainder of the 2017 season after being placed on injured reserve.[116] In four games, Beckham finished the 2017 season with 25 receptions for 302 yards and three touchdowns.[117][118] Despite only playing four games, he was still ranked 77th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[119]

Beckham greeting US military personnel before the start of a game in 2018

On August 27, 2018, Beckham signed a five-year, $95 million contract extension with the Giants with $41 million fully guaranteed with a total of $65 million in guarantees.[120] In his first game back from injury, he recorded 11 receptions for 111 yards in the season-opening 20–15 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.[121] After the Week 3 27–22 win over the Houston Texans, Beckham surpassed Lionel Taylor (319) for the most receptions by a player through his first 50 career games with 337 catches (he would be passed by Michael Thomas in 2019).[122][123] During Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers, Beckham threw a pass to rookie Saquon Barkley that went for a 57-yard touchdown.[124] In addition, Beckham finished with eight receptions for 131 receiving yards as the Giants lost 31-33.[125] He became the first player since David Patten in 2001 and only the fourth since 1950 to record a passing touchdown of at least 50 yards while having at least 100 receiving yards in the same game.[126] In Week 7, on Monday Night Football, he had eight receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown in the 23–20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.[127] He followed that up with eight receptions for 136 yards in a 20–13 loss to the Washington Redskins.[128] In Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, Beckham had four catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns in the 27–23 win.[129] In Week 13 against the Chicago Bears, Beckham had three catches for 35 yards and a touchdown. He also threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Russell Shepard in the 30–27 win.[130] He became the first non-quarterback with multiple passing touchdowns in a season since Antwaan Randle El in 2010.[131] In addition, he became the first player to record multiple games with a touchdown pass and a receiving touchdown in a single season since Eddie Kaw and Benny Boynton accomplished the feat for the 1924 Buffalo Bisons.[132] Beckham was inactive for the final four games of the season due to a quad injury.[133] He finished the season with 77 receptions, 1,052 yards, six touchdowns, and threw two passes for touchdowns.[134] He was ranked 23rd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.[135]

On March 13, 2019, Beckham was acquired by the Cleveland Browns, along with Olivier Vernon, in exchange for Jabrill Peppers, Kevin Zeitler, and the Browns' first- and third-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.[136]

Beckham snags a deep ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football in 2019

In Beckham's first game with the Browns, he caught seven passes for 71 yards as the Browns lost at home to the Tennessee Titans 43–13.[137] In Week 2 against the New York Jets, Beckham finished with 161 receiving yards, including a one-handed grab for 33 yards and later, an 89-yard touchdown as the Browns won 23–3 in his first game back at MetLife Stadium since being traded.[138]

In Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens, Beckham was limited to only two receptions for 20 yards in the 40–25 win.[139] Late in the third quarter, Beckham threw a punch at Ravens' cornerback Marlon Humphrey who then responded by choking Beckham. After the game, Browns' head coach Freddie Kitchens was displeased with the fact that Humphrey was not ejected for choking Beckham and said that "they get away with it because it's Odell," but the Ravens released a close-up video after the game that showed Humphrey had two fists full of jersey and did not touch Beckham Jr.'s neck.[140] After the game, Humphrey apologized to Beckham and said that his response to Beckham was not a brand of football he wanted to represent.[141] On October 5, 2019, Beckham was fined $14,037, as was Humphrey.[142]

In Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks, Beckham caught six passes for 101 yards in the 32–28 loss.[143] Days after the game, he was fined $14,037 by the NFL for uniform violation.[144]

In Week 9, Beckham wore Joker-inspired cleats against the Denver Broncos, which violated the NFL's policy on cleat colors. He was required to change the cleats during halftime.[145][146] In Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins, Beckham caught six passes for 84 yards and his second touchdown of the season in the 41–24 win.[147] On December 8, it was revealed that Beckham was battling with a sports hernia.[148] In Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Beckham caught three passes for 81 yards and a touchdown in the 33–23 loss. During the game, Beckham surpassed 1,000 receiving yards on the season for the fifth time in his career.[149] On January 21, 2020, Beckham underwent core muscle surgery.[150] He was ranked 59th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.[151]

Beckham warming up before the start of a game in 2020

In Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Beckham caught four passes for 74 yards and his first receiving touchdown of the season during the 35–30 win.[152] In Week 4, against the Dallas Cowboys, he had five receptions for 81 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns to go along with 73 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 49–38 victory, amassing 154 total yards and 3 touchdowns on the day.[153] The rushing touchdown occurred late in the fourth quarter as the Browns were trying to stop a furious comeback attempt by the Cowboys. The touchdown helped put the Browns up by 11, effectively sealing the game.[154] In Week 7 against the Bengals, Beckham left the game in the first quarter with a knee injury and did not return after trying to tackle Darius Phillips following an interception.[155][156][157] The next day, it was revealed that Beckham suffered a torn ACL, prematurely ending his season.[158][159] He was placed on injured reserve on October 27, 2020.[160] Beckham finished the 2020 season with 23 catches for 319 yards and three receiving touchdowns plus three rushes for 72 yards and a rushing touchdown in seven games played.[161]

After being excused from two practices earlier in the week following outrage on social media by Beckham's father over the way Beckham was being used in the Browns offense, the Browns released a statement on November 5, 2021, saying that they would be releasing Beckham.[162] He was waived on November 8.[163]

Beckham signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams on November 11, 2021.[164] Beckham played in eight regular season games for the Rams in 2021. He scored a touchdown in five of the games. He finished the season with 44 receptions for 537 receiving yards to go along with the five touchdowns.[165]

Beckham scored his first career playoff touchdown on January 17, 2022, in the Wild Card Game against the Arizona Cardinals.[166] In the NFC Championship Game, Beckham caught nine passes for 113 yards in the 20–17 win against the San Francisco 49ers, helping the Rams advance to Super Bowl LVI. Beckham had a key reception for a first down on the fourth-quarter drive to help set up the Rams' game-tying field goal.[167][168]

In the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals, Beckham scored the game's first touchdown, a 17-yard reception.[169] However, Beckham left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury and did not return.[170] The Rams would hang on to win 23–20, earning Beckham his first career Super Bowl championship.[171] The next day, it was revealed that Beckham suffered a torn ACL, less than a year and a half since he first tore it with Cleveland in October 2020, coincidentally also against the Bengals.[172] He was ranked 90th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.[173]

Beckham spent the off-season recovering from his ACL injury, and there was significant speculation about whether he would re-sign with Los Angeles or sign with another team. Despite still being unsigned by a team, Beckham participated in the Rams' championship banner ceremony before their opening night game against the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium on September 8, 2022.[174] Ultimately, Beckham did not sign with a team during the 2022 NFL season.

On April 9, 2023, Beckham signed a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens.[175][176][177]

• Most receiving yards in a season, rookie: 1,305 [181]
• Most receptions in a season, rookie: 91 (tied with Saquon Barkley) [182]
• Most receptions in a game by a rookie wide receiver: 12 (2014 season: Week 15 vs. Washington Redskins and Week 17 vs. Philadelphia Eagles)[183]
• Most games with at least 50 receiving yards, rookie, season: 9 [184]
• Most games with at least 75 receiving yards, rookie, season: 9 [185]
• Most games with at least 100 receiving yards, rookie, season: 7 [186]
• Most games with at least 125 receiving yards, rookie, season: 6 [187]
• Most games with at least 150 receiving yards, rookie, season: 2 [188]
• Most games with at least ten receptions, rookie, season: 4 [189]
• Most games with at least two receiving touchdowns, rookie, season: 4 [190]
• Consecutive games with at least ten receptions: 2 [191]
• Most receiving yards at home, rookie, season: 767 [192]
• Most receptions at home, rookie, season: 52[193]
• Highest average receiving yards per game, season: 108.8 [194]
• Highest receiving yards per catch (min. 50 catches), rookie, season: 14.34 [195]
• Most receiving touchdowns in a game, rookie: 3 (2014, Week 15 vs. Washington Redskins) [196]

• Fastest to reach 100 career receptions: 14 games[197][198]
• Fastest to reach 150 career receptions: 21 games[199]
• Fastest to reach 200 career receptions: 30 games[200]
• Fastest to reach 250 career receptions: 38 games (tied with Michael Thomas)[201]
• Fastest to reach 3,000 career receiving yards: 30 games[200]
• Fastest to reach 3,500 career receiving yards: 36 games[202][203]
• Fastest to reach 4,000 career receiving yards: 42 games (tied with Lance Alworth)[204]
• Most games with at least 125 receiving yards in first three seasons: 13[205]
• Most receptions in first 15 games of career: 110[197]
• Most consecutive games with at least 90 receiving yards: 9 (2014, tied with Michael Irvin) [206]
• Most consecutive games with at least 130 receiving yards and one touchdown: 4 (tied with Patrick Jeffers and Calvin Johnson)[207]
• Most games with at least ten receptions, rookie, season: 4[208]
• Most games with at least ten receptions, 100 receiving yards, rookie, season: 4[209]
• Most games with at least 125 receiving yards, rookie, season: 6[210]
• Most receptions at home, rookie, season: 52[211]
• Most receiving yards in any calendar month, rookie: 606 yards (December 2014)[212]
• Highest average receiving yards per game, rookie, season: 108.8[213]
• Only player in NFL history to have at least 1,300 receiving yards while playing in 12 or fewer games in season[214]