Cam Akers has been provided with his phone number. Not his locker, though.
The Rams are prepared to re-sign receiver Odell Beckham Jr. at any time, even though no team has yet to sign him. The Rams have left Beckham a locker at the team's practice facility, according to Jourdan Rodrique of TheAthletic.com. The locker comes complete with a nameplate.
If another team gives Beckham a fair offer before the Rams do, this gesture might prevent him from signing with them. Beckham is not yet ready to play after tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl. While he recovered, the Rams might have signed him, giving him some assurance and stability. However, they didn't.
The locker serves as a hint and a gesture that he will have the job when he's ready. Of course, he could not have the money unless he showed he was healthy.
The Rams wisely tied his incentives to team accomplishments last season, and when they won the Super Bowl, he received the maximum amount of money. This year, a similar transaction will make sense. If/when a player isn't getting the looks he wants to enhance his compensation, incentives for receivers based on catches might cause frustration.
It still surprises me that none else has tried to acquire OBJ. Beckham (if and when healthy) would become a crucial member of a competitive club. Numerous teams need receivers. Why not bring him in, prepare him, and then let him loose when appropriate?
Beckham can profit from waiting or being made to wait, depending on the situation. He may believe that another team is better equipped to repeat what the Rams did the previous season, or he may believe that a team plagued by injuries at the position will make him more than just a role player.
He has unquestionably not been reduced to that position. Before his ACL gave out, without any contact, in Super Bowl LVI, he appeared to be the focal point of the game plan and was maybe headed for the MVP award.
A contract will follow at some point. And although the Rams could believe that gimmicks like a special locker in the practice facility will help them retain control, Beckham might choose to adopt a more calculated strategy for his next NFL contract.
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