Odell Beckham has finally been crowned a champion after the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bow LVI on Sunday evening (Feb. 13) at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calf. The star receiver, who had been a key component for the Rams in the first half of the game before leaving late in the second quarter due to a non-contact injury, could be seen shedding tears of joy while celebrating with his team, family, and close friends on the field following the victory.
After scoring a 17-yard touchdown score in the first quarter to give L.A. an early 7-0 lead and nabbing a 35-yard yard reception before leaving the game, Beckham would later be evaluated and ruled out for the rest of the game, a crucial loss that stifled the Rams’ offense for much of the second half, leading to a 16-23 deficit heading into the fourth quarter. However, the Rams’ defense stopped the bleeding and its offense scored a go-ahead touchdown score with less than two minutes left in the game. They held off the Bengal’s offense to secure the franchise’s second Super Bowl win and first in L.A.
“This is everything I’ve ever dreamed of, you know,” Beckham told CBS Sports after the game. “And there was a moment I was in the backroom and they told me I was done, I couldn’t play. And I had to come back out there and be a part of this because it’s so much bigger than myself. And these boys pulled through and made it happen.”
The Rams quarterback was released by the Cleveland Browns earlier this year after an underwhelming stint with the franchise. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams and quickly became an impact player throughout the regular season, finishing with 27 catches for 305 yards and five touchdowns over the final eight games. His contributions continued during the NFC playoffs, with the megastar tallying 19 catches for 236 yards and a touchdown, with a long of 31 yards, finishing second only to Cooper Kupp in receptions and yards.
In addition to inching closer to a Hall of Fame ticket, Beckham also cashed in on various post-season incentives, as he’s due to receive $3 million in bonuses related to his and the team’s post-season performance. He had already made $2 million with the Rams’ first three playoff wins and would have made $500,000 had the Rams lost to the Bengals on Sunday.
One longtime supporter who was happy to see OBJ and the Rams bring home the chip is Drake, who placed $1.5M in bets on the Rams and Beckham individually, winning the equivalent of $2 million USD in Bitcoin. Drake penned a short poem in a post on Instagram congratulating his buddy for his win. “I wish I got my flowers when everything was rosey/ How I’m supposed to smell em when everyone’s being nosey/ Pictures of me victorious they making with Adobe make me thankful that a trophy was never what made me cozy,” the hitmaker wrote in the caption of a photo of Beckham on the SoFi field.
Beckham, who is expecting his first child with girlfriend Lauren Wood, will be an unrestricted free agent this off-season.