The Baltimore Ravens dismissed three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Wednesday night with a Post-June 1 designation, as was widely anticipated and originally reported by ESPN’s Field Yates. This formally made Beckham Jr. an unrestricted free agent who could sign with any club.

The Ravens’ most noteworthy offseason addition from the previous season, Beckham had a significant role in advancing the long-term extension negotiations between Lamar Jackson, the team’s quarterback, and the head office. The veteran wide receiver of ten years inked a one-year contract worth $15 million, with the possibility of earning up to $18 million in incentives. In order to stretch the cap hit across a number of years, the deal also included void years.

Beckham and the Ravens reached a revised agreement in January, which called for his release with the special post-June 1 designation and eliminated the void years and dead money cap charges.

After missing the whole 2022 season recovering from a ruptured ACL he sustained in the 2021 Super Bowl, Beckham did not light the league on fire in his first season back, but he was a valued leader and displayed glimpses of his explosive playmaking abilities. Averaging a career-high 16.1 yards per catch, he appeared in 14 regular season games, including six starts, and recorded 35 receptions on 64 targets for 565 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

The 31-year-old now joins a wide receiver market that, except from Calvin Ridley, who signed a $92 million, four-year contract with the Tennessee Titans, hasn’t seen many significant offers. He will probably remain unsigned until after the 2024 NFL Draft, which is particularly rich in gifted young wideouts, passes and teams have an opportunity to reevaluate their rosters, unless he is prepared to accept a team-friendly contract with an anticipated contender.

General Manager Eric DeCosta revealed at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine that the organization has kept in touch and hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing him back. 2023 first-round receiver Zay Flowers, who set multiple franchise rookie records, looked up to Beckham as a wonderful role model and mentor. However, Flowers started to lose more snaps to 2021 first-rounder Rashod Bateman, who the team anticipates will play a larger role in 2024. Re-signing him for a one-year contract at a considerably lower cost would make sense, depending on how the Ravens’ receiving depth chart appears after the draft.