Odell Cornelious Beckham Jr. (born November 5, 1992), also widely known as OBJ,^[1] is an American football wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Beckham played college football at nearby Louisiana State University (LSU), and was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 12th overall pick. Since entering the NFL, Beckham has been one of the most productive and popular players, but he has drawn media scrutiny for his conduct on and off the playing field.

Beckham started the 2012 BCS National Championship Game in his first year playing for the LSU Tigers, and won the Paul Hornung Award following his junior season in 2013. In his first season with the New York Giants, Beckham broke numerous NFL rookie receiving records, despite missing the first four games of the season due to injury. Beckham became the first player to record more than 75 receptions, 1,100 yards, and ten touchdowns in a rookie season, and broke the rookie record for the most average receiving yards per game.^[2] During Week 12 of his first season, Beckham came to national attention when he made a one-handed touchdown catch whilst falling backwards in a Sunday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys,^[3] which numerous pundits and athletes called the greatest catch ever made.^[4] Beckham went on to win the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

In 2016, he became the fastest player in NFL history to reach both 200 career receptions and 4,000 career receiving yards. In 2016, he recorded his first 100-reception season and reached the NFL playoffs for the first time in his career, after helping the Giants to an 11–5 season record. Beckham was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons in the NFL, and has been named a second-team All-Pro twice.

Beckham was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.^[5] He attended Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was a letterman in football, basketball, and track.^[6] In football, he played wide receiver, quarterback, running back, and cornerback for the Greenies football team. As a junior, he caught 45 passes for 743 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also adding three more scores on the ground. As a senior, he hauled in 50 catches for 1,010 yards and 19 touchdowns, joining Cooper Manning as the only two players in school history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season. In addition, he rushed for 331 yards and six touchdowns, passed for 90 yards and a score and also averaged 30.0 yards per punt return.^[7] He was named to the Times Picayune 2011 Blue-Chip list and to the Louisiana 2A All-State first team as a wide receiver, while he also earned District 9-2A Offensive MVP honors and a spot on The Advocate's Super Dozen.^[8]

In basketball, Beckham lettered all four years and was an all-district selection his junior and senior years. As a standout track & field athlete, Beckham followed in his mother's footsteps to excel in the sprinting and jumping events while at Newman High. He took silver in the long jump event at the 2010 Newman Invitational, with a career-best leap of 6.83 meters.^[9] At the 2010 LA 2A State Meet, he earned sixth-place finishes in both the 200-meter dash, with a PR time of 22.31 seconds, and in the long jump, with a leap of 6.71 meters (21 ft 11 in).^[10] He was also a member of the Newman 4 × 100 m and 4 × 200 m relay teams.

Beckham also played soccer growing up and considers English player David Beckham his childhood idol.^[11] His soccer club coaches offered Beckham a chance to try out for a junior national team program, but he did not want to spend the required time overseas considering his talents in other sports at home.^[11]

Regarded as a four-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Beckham was rated as the No. 6 wide receiver and as the No. 40 player in the nation. He chose Louisiana State University (LSU) over scholarship offers from Ole Miss, Nebraska, Tulane, and Tulsa, among others.^[12] He also played in the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.^[13]

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 Oregon Ducks. Against the Ducks, he had two receptions for 10 yards.^[14] Against the West Virginia Mountaineers on September 24, Beckham scored his first career collegiate touchdown, a 52-yard reception from Jarrett Lee.^[15] In the SEC Championship against the Georgia Bulldogs, Beckham was held without a catch but did have two punt returns.^[16] The Tigers made the BCS National Championship game in Beckham's freshman season. In the game, which was a rematch against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Beckham had five receptions for 38 yards in the 21-0 defeat.^[17] Overall, in his freshman season, Beckham recorded 41 receptions for 475 yards and two touchdowns. He was named a freshman All-SEC selection.^[18]

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.^[19] 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.^[20] 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.^[21] He finished first on the team in receiving yards with 713 and second in receptions with 43, only behind Jarvis Landry's 56 receptions.^[22]

As a junior in 2013, he combined with Jarvis Landry to form one of the best wide receiver duos in college football.^[23][24] On September 7, in the game against UAB, Beckham had five receptions for 136 yards and three touchdowns^[25] and returned a failed field goal attempt for a record-long 109 yards and a touchdown (this record would be tied by Auburn's Chris Davis later that year against the Alabama Crimson Tide). On October 5, against SEC West rival Mississippi State, Beckham had a then-career high 179 receiving yards with two touchdowns.^[26] Against the Furman Paladins on October 26, Beckham had six receptions for a collegiate career-high 204 yards and two touchdowns.^[27] He was a first and second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection.^[28] 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.^[29] He finished the 2013 season with 57 receptions for 1,117 yards and eight touchdowns.^[30] He led the SEC with 32 kickoff returns for 845 net yards in the 2013 season.^[31]

After the season, he decided to forego his senior season and entered the 2014 NFL Draft.^[32][33]

^[34]

Beckham was selected by the New York Giants with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.^[37] He was the third wide receiver to be selected that year.^[38] He signed a contract with the Giants on May 19, 2014.^[39]

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, against the Atlanta Falcons recording four receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown.^[40] In his first Monday Night Football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Beckham caught 8 passes for 156 yards. Against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10, he caught 7 passes for 108 yards. 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.^{[41][42][43][44][45]} 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 due to a touchdown throw from Tony Romo to Dez Bryant.^[46] 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.^[47]

Beckham finished November with 38 receptions, 593 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.^[48] He had at least 90 yards receiving in all five games in November, setting an NFL rookie record for a calendar month.^[49] He also broke Bill Groman's and Randy Moss's rookie record for consecutive games with 90 or more receiving yards in a season.^[50] In week 14, Beckham extended his 90 receiving yard streak to 6 games, recording 11 receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown vs. Tennessee Titans. He also joined Bill Groman as the only rookies to have over 700 receiving yards in a six-game span.^[51]

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.^[52] 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.^[53] He also extended his streak of games with 130+ receiving yards and at least one receiving touchdown to three.^[54]

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.^[55] Mark Bavaro previously held the record when he had 176 receiving yards against the Bengals on October 13, 1985. Beckham also had 12 receptions and a receiving touchdown against the Eagles, which tied Torry Holt for most games with 10+ receptions, 100+ receiving yards, and 1+ 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 1,300+ receiving yards in a season, and the only rookie to have at least 90+ receptions and 10+ receiving touchdowns in a season.^[56] Beckham was named a first-alternate for the 2015 Pro Bowl.^[57] On January 7, 2015, Beckham replaced Calvin Johnson in Pro Bowl due to injury. He's the first Giants rookie wide receiver in franchise history & the first Giants rookie since Jeremy Shockey in 2002 to make the Pro Bowl.^[58]

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." ^[59][60]

Beckham earned numerous accolades after the season, which sportswriters hailed as one of the greatest ever by a rookie.^[61][62] On January 31, 2015, Beckham was named Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.^[63] He was also awarded the 2014 Pro Football Writers Association Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.^[64] On May 13, 2015, Beckham was voted to the cover of Madden NFL 16, beating out Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots.^[65] Beckham is the youngest player ever to grace the cover of Madden.^[66]

In the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on September 13, Beckham had five receptions for 44 yards in the narrow 27–26 defeat.^[67] Beckham would bounce back the following week against the Atlanta Falcons with seven receptions for 146 yards and one touchdown.^[68] On October 11, against the San Francisco 49ers, he had seven receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown.^[69] In a 52-49 shootout with the New Orleans Saints in Week 8, Beckham had eight receptions for 130 yards and three touchdowns.^[70] His performance against the Saints was the first of six consecutive games 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.^[71][72] In the next game, against the Washington Redskins, he had nine receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown.^[73] In the next game, against the New York Jets, he had six receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown.^[74] Against the Miami Dolphins in Week 14, Beckham had a season-high 166 yards receiving and two touchdowns.^[75] 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.^[76] On December 21, 2015, the NFL Disciplinary Committee suspended Beckham one game without pay for multiple violations of safety-related playing rules.^[77] He appealed the decision, but the suspension was upheld.^[78] In 15 games, Beckham finished the season with career highs of 1,450 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.^[79] 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.^[80]

Beckham entered the 2016 season with a new head coach, Ben McAdoo, after Tom Coughlin resigned from his position as the Giants' head coach. On September 17, Beckham was fined $12,154 for a dance-celebration during Week 1 against the Cowboys.^[81] On September 25, he was fined $36,000 for a blindside hit on safety Kenny Vaccaro in Week 2 against the Saints.^[82] During Week 3 against the 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 121 receiving yards as the Giants lost a close game 27–29.^{[83][84][85][86]} 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.^[87] 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 10 touchdowns.^[88] He was a Pro Bowl selection for a third year in a row. 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. Beckham had four receptions for 28 yards in the loss.^[89] 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 10 days later.^[90] He was ranked eighth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.^[91]

On April 24, 2017, the Giants exercised Beckham's fifth year option.^[92]

Plagued with an ankle injury, Beckham missed the first week, but returned in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, finishing with 36 receiving yards as the Giants lost 10–24.^[93][94] In the next game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had 79 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.^[95] 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.^[96] It was later revealed that he suffered a fractured left ankle.^[97] 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.^[98] In four games, Beckham finished the 2017 season with 25 receptions for 302 yards and three touchdowns.^[99][100] Despite only playing four games, he was still ranked 77th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.^[101]

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.^[102] 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.^[103] During Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers, Beckham threw a pass to rookie Saquon Barkley that went for a 57-yard touchdown.^[104] Beckham also finished with 131 receiving yards as the Giants lost 31-33.^[105] 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.^[106] He followed that up with eight receptions for 136 yards in a 20–13 loss to the Washington Redskins.^[107] In Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, Beckham had four catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns in the 27-23 win.^[108] 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.^[109] He became the first non-quarterback with multiple passing touchdowns in a season since Antwaan Randle El in 2010.^[110] Beckham was inactive for the final four games of the season due to a quad injury.^[111] He finished the season with 77 receptions, 1,052 yards, six touchdowns, and threw two passes for touchdowns.^[112] He was ranked 23rd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.^[113]

On March 13, 2019, Beckham was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Jabrill Peppers and the Browns' first round (17th overall, Dexter Lawrence) and their second third-round pick (95th overall, Oshane Ximines).^[114]

In Beckham's first game with the Browns, he caught seven passes for 71 yards as the Browns lost to the Tennessee Titans 13–43.^[115] During Monday Night Football against the New York Jets in Week 2, 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.^[116]

Source:^[117]

Beckham has a younger brother, Kordell, and a younger sister, Jasmine.^[151][152] Beckham's father, Odell Beckham Sr., was a standout running back at Marshall High School,^[153] and played running back at LSU from 1989 to 1992. He was also mentioned in Buzz Bissinger's 1990 book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream. Beckham's mother, Heather Van Norman, also attended LSU as a track runner.^[154] In 1993, she ran for three national championship relay teams, winning the events of indoor and outdoor 4 × 400 m and the outdoor 4 × 100 m relay.^[155] When Van Norman found out she was pregnant with Beckham in 1992, she was in the midst of training for the Olympic trials.^[156] She later became the coach of the Nicholls State University track and field team. She resigned from this position on June 1, 2017.^[157] After the NFL Combine, Beckham planned on challenging Van Norman to a race in the 40-yard dash.^[158] Beckham has shown to be friends with many high-profile names, having ties to David Beckham, James Corden, Beyoncé, LeBron James, Drake,^[159] and David Alaba, who is also his favorite soccer player.^[160]

On January 29, 2015, during a live ESPN broadcast from Glendale, Arizona, home of Super Bowl XLIX, Beckham, partnering with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, attempted to establish a new world record for the most one-handed catches made in a minute. He shattered the previous record of 10 as he caught 33 passes. However, this achievement was short lived as CFL wide receiver Andy Fantuz recorded 50 one-handed catches in a minute to set the new world record. It was widely reported that as a member of the Browns he wore a Richard Mille watch during a 2019 game against the Titans.

Beckham has raised money and awareness over several topics, including cancer research, feeding hungry Americans, damage done by Hurricane Harvey and severe floods, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

In May 2017, Beckham signed the largest endorsement contract in NFL history with Nike. The contract is for five years and is worth $25 million. If Beckham meets all of his incentives, the deal can be pushed up to an eight-year and $48 million contract.^[166]

Beckham also has sponsorship deals with Head & Shoulders, Foot Locker, and Lenovo.^[167]

Beckham has been involved with a number of television productions. In 2015, he was part of Catching Odell,^[168] which was a TV movie that gave a behind-the-scenes point of view at his preparations and training for the upcoming season. In 2016, he made his television debut in Code Black.^[169] In 2018, alongside his then-Giants teammate Brad Wing, he appeared in the music video for the Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande song "Bed".^[170]