Odell Beckham Jr. spent the 2024 NFL season with the Dolphins. (AP Photo/Kirk Irwin)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said he accepted a six-game suspension from the NFL on Tuesday after he reportedly failed a performance-enhancing drug test last year. Beckham revealed the news on The Pivot podcast, though said he never knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs.
Beckham, 32, played nine games with the Miami Dolphins last season.
Despite the news, Beckham said he hopes to continue his NFL career this season. The veteran has bounced around quite a bit after being traded from the Cleveland Browns during the 2021 NFL season. Beckham won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams that same year, but suffered a torn ACL in that game.
Advertisement
[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]
He sat out the 2022 NFL season before re-emerging with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. Beckham turned in modest production with Baltimore, catching 35 passes for 565 yards and 3 touchdowns. In his nine games in Miami last season, Beckham caught nine passes for 55 yards. Following that performance, Beckham went unsigned on the free-agent market this spring.
Early in his career, Beckham looked like he a future Hall of Famer. He burst onto the scene as a rookie with the New York Giants, gaining 1,305 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns in his first season. He followed that up with two additional seasons with over 1,300 receiving yards. Injuries limited Beckham to just four games in 2017. He returned to action the following year, where he turned in one more 1,000-yard season with the Giants.
Beckham was traded to the Browns that offseason. While he managed to put up one more 1,000-yard season, injuries and ineffectiveness sapped his production with the team. The trade to the Rams briefly rejuvenated Beckham’s career before the Super Bowl injury effectively ended his chances at a second act.
Advertisement
With the news, Beckham’s suspension is expected to show up on the NFL transaction wire Tuesday. If he does sign with a team, Beckham would not be able to play until Week 12, when his suspension lifts.
