The Odell Beckham Jr. Experiment appears to have run its course in Cleveland.
Back in 2019, the Cleveland Browns acquired Beckham and defensive end Olivier Vernon in exchange for right guard Kevin Zeitler, safety Jabrill Peppers, the Browns’ 2019 first rounder and a 2019 third rounder. The rationale behind this move was simple: it would give a developing young quarterback in Baker Mayfield a legit target to throw to and ideally pump some life back into a seemingly dead offense.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Beckham and Mayfield never quite got on the same page, and now many are calling for the entire thing to get blown up to little pieces.
“I’ve given up,” Stephen A. Smith said on First Take this week after the Browns’ embarrassing 38-7 defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers. “I think Cleveland should give up. I think the Browns should give up. I think the city should give up. Enough is enough.”
If Cleveland is finally ready to pull the plug on Beckham’s time with the franchise, there are three serious potential suitors out there for his services: the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers.
This past week, Fox Sports’ Nick Wright revealed that an NFL source texted him recently: “The Odell trade rumblings are rumbling again.”
Championship coaches do championship things. https://t.co/Rt7179e8TK
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 22, 2020
At that point, Wright named the Patriots as a legitimate potential landing spot for Beckham.
“I look around the league and I say, ‘Who is a team that if (Beckham) were to become available could fit him in under the cap, would make sense (and) has an obvious need there, and the top of that list is your Patriots,” Wright said.
“Now, the text said nothing about the Patriots. I want to be clear here. I want to be clear that A) The text was not from Odell. I promise I give my word. And B) The text did not say any team in particular. I’m connecting the Patriots dot when I was told that the Odell trade rumblings are starting to rumble again.”
Troy Aikman isn’t taking the criticism lying down. https://t.co/bamCgZtkdF
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 22, 2020
If not the Patriots – Philly makes a ton of sense. The Eagles made it no secret that they were hoping to trade Alshon Jeffery at the beginning of the year, so clearly they have no long-term plans for the 30-year-old. Beyond him and the oft-injured DeSean Jackson, the receiving cupboard is very bare. Carson Wentz is not as bad as people think he is this year – he just doesn’t have a ton to work with. Adding Beckham would immediately change that.
Finally, don’t sleep on Green Bay. The Packers have been linked to a possible trade for Beckham for some time now. Davante Adams is a stud, obviously, but he is not enough. When he has a mediocre outing, as he did this past week versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there is no one available to pick up the slack. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Aaron Jones and Robert Tonyan are not suitable No. 2 options on a Super Bowl-contending team.
One way or another, it’s time for a change in Cleveland. The Browns have played this Mayfield-Beckham fantasy out for as long as they could, but clearly it won’t work. It’s time to blow things up and start anew, for everyone’s sakes.
Is Beckham definitely getting traded? No.
Should he be moved, though? Absolutely.
Related: Will Cavs Trade Andre Drummond To Celtics, Clippers Or Spurs?
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
