As he heads for free agency, Odell Beckham Jr.'s knee injury is casting a cloud over what kind of contract he'll receive on the open market. Should he be unable to play entirely in 2022, the three-time Pro Bowler might still collect a paycheck nonetheless.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported the NFL and NFL Players Association are currently in arbitration over whether players in Beckham's situation are eligible for injury protection:
"Ordinarily, a player with an expiring contract is not eligible for injury protection. Beckham signed a one-year deal with the Rams after being released, at his request, by the Browns. However, there’s an unresolved question that would be relevant to Beckham. When he suffered the injury, he technically had a contract with future years remaining. Yes, those future years were a device for spreading cap money and will automatically disappear. Still, at the time he tore his ACL, Beckham had a contract beyond 2021."
Should the arbitrator rule in favor of the players' union, Beckham would receive $1.12 million in injury protection. The decision would also have consequences for others around the league.
Brad Spielberger, Esq. @PFF_BradThis arbitration ruling will have a major impact on how void years are utilized. Players should have additional benefits for helping their clubs with salary cap relief via dummy years. <br><br>Duane Brown negotiated this protection into his re-worked deal before 2021 <a href="https://t.co/jeunQhG5Jf">https://t.co/jeunQhG5Jf</a>
The MMQB's Albert Breer reported Feb. 14 the Los Angeles Rams were concerned Beckham suffered a torn ACL in their Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Prior to the injury, the 29-year-old rebuilt a lot of the value he had lost during his two-and-a-half years with the Cleveland Browns. He caught 27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns in eight regular-season games with L.A. and was excellent (21 catches, 288 yards and two touchdowns) in the playoffs.
Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reported in January he could command around $11 million or $12 million annually on his next contract. On the eve of the Super Bowl, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported the Rams "are very optimistic" about re-signing him.
The timing of his knee injury throws Beckham's availability for the 2022 season into doubt, though. Even if he doesn't miss the whole year, he'll be in a race against the clock to return to 100 percent in time for Week 1.
Even if he hadn't gotten hurt, signing a one-year deal with the Rams or another team was arguably Beckham's best move. He could've parlayed another strong season into a bigger payday in 2023.
Now, it's difficult to envision a team being willing to put a short-term contract on the table if he can't play all 17 games.
Gaining injury protection could provide Beckham with a form of leverage in negotiations this offseason. If he doesn't like what's on offer, he can point to the $1.12 million waiting for him and explain he's willing to sit out 2022 before reevaluating the free-agency landscape in 2023.
Report: Rams' Odell Beckham Jr. Could Receive Injury Protection Pending Arbitration - Bleacher Report
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