Odell Beckham Jr. was in the middle of a Zoom call with reporters on Monday afternoon when the moderator informed him that a “special guest” was next in the queue.
“What’s going on, man?” Beckham’s unidentified friend greeted him.
For a few seconds, Beckham seemed unsure who it was. Then a bright smile lit up his bearded face when he realized who surprised him.
Jarvis Landry, Beckham’s close friend and former Cleveland Browns teammate, crashed the Zoom call to wish the Los Angeles Rams receiver good luck against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday. The touching conversation began with Landry telling Beckham that he is “deserving of this moment” on the NFL’s biggest stage.
“You put countless hours to get where you are today and I’ve witnessed it all first-hand,” Landry said. “You have scars to show for where you are today. This is a dream that you are actually turning into a reality and I wanted to come on here and just let you know that I’m proud of you.
“I love you and go get that ring. Go get that ring!”
Those words of support nearly reduced Beckham to tears because Landry knows better than anyone the turbulent yet redemptive path that Beckham has taken to get to his first Super Bowl. Landry and Beckham formed the SEC’s best receiving tandem at LSU before jointly entering the 2014 NFL draft as juniors. The duo then reunited five years later in Cleveland for two-and-a-half rocky seasons.
Landry was there to keep Beckham grounded when a gravity-defying one-handed catch against Dallas catapulted the New York Giants rookie to superstardom. Almost overnight, Beckham’s Instagram following soared into the millions and the likes of LeBron James and Michael Jordan began exchanging text messages with him.
Landry was someone Beckham could vent to thereafter as the onetime NFL Rookie of the Year struggled to live up to his hype and to cope with constant New York media scrutiny. There was daily drama highlighted by a Miami boat trip he took with friends days before a 2017 playoff game against Green Bay. The Giants lost big, and, fair or not, Beckham took the brunt of the blame.
And, of course, Landry was one of Beckham’s few remaining allies when his Cleveland stint rapidly turned sour. Landry stood up for Beckham when he was on the road to becoming an NFL pariah, when he was considered a declining player with a selfish streak, when the Browns couldn’t give him away.
“1 Of The Best Teammates I Have Ever Played With In My Life !!!!” Landry tweeted at Beckham the November day the Browns released him.
The same day, Landry wrote to Beckham on Instagram, “I Pray Your New Chapter Will Be Filled With All You Could Have Ever Dream Of, Because You’ve Deserve It.”
Unable to establish a connection with Baker Mayfield in Cleveland, Beckham was running out of chances to prove the problem wasn’t him. He needed to find a situation with a quarterback who could deliver him the ball and a coach who believed in him.
Wide receiver-bereft New England was one of Beckham’s suitors. Beckham said Monday that he might have signed with the Patriots if “this was three years ago” and Tom Brady were still their quarterback.
Hometown New Orleans also expressed interest. On Monday, perhaps alluding to the Saints’ sketchy quarterback situation, Beckham said, “It just didn’t feel like the right time. Right place, wrong time.”
In the end, Beckham chose the Rams over Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay. It was a decision that left many wondering how Beckham would handle joining a receiving corps featuring the league’s most productive wideout, Cooper Kupp, always-steady Robert Woods and emerging second-year pro Van Jefferson.
DeSean Jackson had complained about a lack of targets and gotten cut. Would OBJ be different?
Three months later, the answer has been a resounding yes.
Beckham has proven that he isn’t washed up. He snagged six touchdown passes in 11 games after joining the Rams, seizing the role of Matthew Stafford’s second option after Woods went down with a torn ACL. In the NFC championship game against San Francisco, Beckham looked like his old electric self, scorching the 49ers for nine catches and 113 yards.
Beckham also hasn’t been the distraction he was feared to be. To a man, his Rams teammates say that he has been a positive locker room influence. He has even been good in the Los Angeles community, handing out Super Bowl tickets last week to the Watts Rams youth team.
On Monday’s Zoom call, Beckham was asked if he took satisfaction proving his many critics wrong. “A younger me definitely would’ve,” Beckham admitted, but now he says he doesn’t because, “I feel like I’ve come so far and I really know who I am.”
Someone else who knows how far Beckham has come is Landry. That’s why Beckham became emotional Monday while listening to Landry’s heartfelt message. Rubbing his arms as though he were cold, a smiling Beckham told Landry, “You’re giving me chills!”
“Besides pops, there’s no man who ever came into my life and had the effect and impact that you have had,” Beckham continued.
“I love you so much, bro! This moment is for us!”