If Odell Beckham Jr. ends up re-signing with the Rams, he's likely going to have to find a new number for 2022 and he doesn't seem too happy about that.
Beckham joined the Rams midway through the 2021 season and when he signed, he ended up getting No. 3. The problem with that number is that Rams running back Cam Akers was planning to wear it for the 2022 season. According to ESPN.com, the Rams agreed to give Beckham No. 3 when he signed in November, but they did it with both sides knowing that the receiver would not be able to keep that number for 2022 because it would be given to Akers.
The Rams running back, who wore No. 23 for the first two seasons of his career, decided to switch to three this year and to Beckham's chagrin, he unveiled his new number last week.
Last year, Cam Akers planned to switch to No. 3, but NFL wanted to charge him $500,000, so he waited until this season to make the switch, for free. When OBJ signed, the Rams and NFL arranged for him to wear No. 3, but all sides agreed he would have a different number in 2022. pic.twitter.com/xTKJYEspti
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 27, 2022
Although Beckham doesn't even technically play for the Rams right now, it seems pretty clear that he'd like to keep No. 3 if he does re-sign with the team. The free agent wide receiver said he tried to contact Akers about making a deal for the number, but he wasn't able to work anything out because the running back stopped answering his calls.
But I wouldaaaa gave him the Bread!!! And fkkk tht ima air Cam out ! We were in negotiations for it and he just stoppped responding to me! Yeaaaa I’m puttin him on blast cause he didn’t wanna text back
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) April 29, 2022
The most hilarious part of this entire thing is that the Rams website has added some fuel to the fire here. Not only do they still have Beckham listed on their roster, even though he's a free agent, but they have him listed as having the same number as Akers.
According to ESPN.com, Beckham was open to taking 1, 3 or 13 when he signed in November, but if that's his plan now, that could be a problem because all of those numbers are taken. The Rams newest wide receiver, Allen Robinson, decided to take No. 1 while backup QB John Wolford is expected to wear 13 in 2022. Odell likely won't be able to convince Robinson to give up his number, but he might be able to make a deal with Wolford.
Of course, none of this matters unless Odell ends up re-signing with the Rams. As for whether that will happen, Matthew Stafford seems hopeful that it will, but he knows Odell has a lot on his plate right now. Not only is Beckham rehabbing his knee after tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl, but he's also raising a baby after becoming a father for the first time in February.
"I've been in contact with him, both checking on his knee, his new addition to his family, and just letting him know that we'd love to still have him," Stafford said last week, via Ramswire.com. "It was an unbelievable blessing to get the chance to play with a talented player like that and honestly, such a great teammate. He was awesome from the second he stepped into our facility, which was a tough situation to learn as much as he had to learn as quickly as he did. It was really impressive
