Odell Beckham Jr. is ready to put the pedal to the metal.
The wide receiver, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens in April, said his new team won’t regret kicking his tires.
“I think that there’s still some dust on that ’76 Mustang that we need to work out, but the car runs beautifully,” Beckham told NBC Sports’ Peter King.
The mileage the 30-year-old Beckham has added over the year means he’s ready to transition from flash phenom to senior statesman.
In fact, Beckham told King one reason he signed with Baltimore was to be a role model for the team’s younger players.
“Try to show them the good and bad, because, as you know, I’ve already been through a lot of the bad,” Beckham said. “I believe I have the blueprint for what to do and what not to do, and I just try and share that with them.”
Beckham continued to explain that he’s become a sounding board who will just “sit there and listen. Hear them out.”
Beckham also reflected on his long and winding road through the NFL.
“When I was younger, even if I respected a person, if someone’s talking and talking and telling me information, I think it’s hard to lead that way,” Beckham said.
“Everybody’s story’s different. You have to understand a person, really understand them, before you tell them how to do something, I think. It’s kinda cool. I actually love the role.”
The story of Beckham’s pro journey is quite familiar to football fans.
The Giants selected him in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
After five tumultuous seasons with New York, including three Pro Bowl campaigns and one broken ankle, the Giants traded him to the Browns in 2019.
Beckham spent three seasons in Cleveland, during which time he suffered his first torn ACL.
After returning to the lineup in 2021, Beckham became disgruntled with his role on the Browns and talked his way out of town.
After being waived by Cleveland, Beckham signed with the Rams and helped Los Angeles reach Super Bowl 56.
Beckham was on his way to having a monster game against the Bengals before suffering his second torn ACL.
Following the Rams’ 23-20 win over Cincinnati, Beckham became a free agent.
The 2022 season saw a flood of rumors regarding Beckham’s next NFL stop, including a possible reunion with the Giants, as he rehabbed following knee surgery.
But he ended up sitting out the season and signing a one-year contract with Baltimore, putting him in position to mentor wide receiver Zay Flowers, the Ravens’ first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.