Odell Beckham Jr. calls out to Lamar Jackson as he's introduced by Ravens

Odell Beckham Jr. and Lamar Jackson may never end up being teammates on the Baltimore Ravens.

The wideout, who agreed to a one-year contract with the team worth possibly $18 million during the weekend, is hopeful that he and the 2019 NFL MVP will connect on the field in 2023.

"The goal is to come here and have that possibility with him," Beckham said at his introductory news conference Thursday at the team's practice facility.

At one point, Beckham waved to the camera while mentioning Jackson's name. Evidently, the uncertainty of whether Jackson will play this season under the non-exclusive franchise tag he has not yet signed was not a deterrent for Beckham to become a Raven.

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“It wasn’t about so much money, it wasn’t about anything," Beckham said. "They showed me that they wanted me and they see me as a piece to help them win.”

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Conversations between Beckham and the Ravens began last fall, as Baltimore tried to cling to its season marred by a lack of offensive firepower and Beckham was attempting to return from a torn ACL he suffered in Super Bowl 56 that February with the Los Angeles Rams.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was struck by Beckham's honesty.

"It's a big move for us," Harbaugh said Thursday. "Today's a really great day for the Ravens."

The talks continued this offseason and the team sat down face-to-face with Beckham at last month's owners meetings in Arizona. After two minutes of speaking, DeCosta was sure he wanted Beckham to be a Raven and address the hole at wideout.

Assistant wide receivers coach Keith Williams represented Baltimore at Beckham's workout for NFL teams, and general manager Eric DeCosta said the coaches and front office watched the tape of that session roughly four times.

“We went into it as the underdogs,” DeCosta said. “Sometimes, the underdogs win.”

The open dialogue with the Ravens put him at ease, Beckham said. Owner Steve Bisciotti reached out. After that, Beckham told his agent he wanted to be a Raven.

"It boiled down to – I’m at a place in my life where it means a lot more to be wanted more than someone who would love to have you," Beckham said. "Because a lot of places would love to have, but where you’re wanted, you can pour your heart into it even more."

Will Odell Beckham, Lamar Jackson play together?

Beckham said he received zero assurances from Bisciotti, Harbaugh or DeCosta that Jackson would be the team's quarterback next season, although everyone is hoping that is the case.

“If you look at the other situations I was going into, everything was uncertain," Beckham said. "Once again, I would assume everything would work out.”

DeCosta said he and Jackson have spoken since the quarterback's March 2 trade request. He did not want to go into specifics.

"He’s the right player for this team to lead us to where we want to be," DeCosta said. "The locker room knows that, the organization knows that."

Beckham, who signed a four-year, $90 million contract extension with the New York Giants in 2018, sympathized with Jackson's situation.

“It’s a very thin line when it’s your heart that’s involved and you’re a personable person and you feel you deserve this, and then the business side gets in the way,” said Beckham, who was traded from the Giants to the Cleveland Browns in 2019 and spent 2 1/2 seasons there.

In Cleveland, Beckham spent one season (2019) with Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who held the same title with the Browns.

“We had great rapport there, great communication. I remember me and him try to figure it out, bring everyone together.” said Beckham, who watched Monken's high-octane offenses with the Georgia Bulldogs the last two seasons that led to a pair of national championships. “I know it should be a lot of fun.”

Coming back from ACL

The champagne Beckham sipped after Super Bowl 56 was bittersweet, he said. Beckham caught a touchdown before suffering the injury, but he watched the confetti fall while he was on crutches.

Beckham revealed his ACL was damaged by Week 9 of the 2021 season, but he played through the discomfort. “I had to sit back and watch everyone have fun last year, do backflips in the end zone, do 'The Griddy' … I was just licking at the chops to get back out there.”

There were plenty of dark days in the first couple of months after surgery.

“That part’s all behind me. I have a future. I have a vision. I have something that I’m looking forward to," Beckham said. "I’m just excited. I’m excited, but I’m also determined and hungry. Through the smiles, I want this badly.”

Before the injury, the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year had 56 touchdowns in 96 career games. He's averaged 13.9 yards per catch with 7,367 total receiving yards.

“We’ve had lots of players come back from this injury and flourish,” DeCosta said.

"We're getting somebody who's getting ready to explode again."

Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Odell Beckham Jr. introduced by Ravens, hopes Lamar Jackson signs