Odell Beckham Jr.

Saints, Browns Discussed Odell Beckham Jr. Trade

November 2nd, 2021 at 3:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns and Saints discussed a trade that would have sent Odell Beckham Jr. to New Orleans (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Kimberley A. Martin). Ultimately, the two sides couldn’t get a deal done, largely due to OBJ’s salary.

No offers came in that would have made sense for the Browns, per Dianna Russini of ESPN.com. Although there are no post-2021 guarantees in Beckham’s Giants-constructed contract, the eighth-year wide receiver is due more than $7MM in base salary for the rest of this season. He has also struggled (again) to carve out a steady role in Cleveland’s offense this season.

Beckham hasn’t been totally healthy since 2019, when he notched 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns for the Browns. Meanwhile, he’s spent much of his Cleveland tenure at odds with coaches and management. Today, his camp seems to have stoked the flames of a potential trade sending him elsewhere.

Odell Beckham Sr. posted a video on Instagram of his son breaking open on various routes that did not produce targets from Baker Mayfield. The elder Beckham also appeared to endorse a comment that read “[Mayfield is] either hating on Odell or he just doesn’t want him shining,” via ESPN.com’s Jake Trotter. LeBron James weighed in on OBJ’s status as well, dropping a #FreeOBJ into a tweet supporting a player who has never truly fit in the Browns’ offense.

Cleveland acquired Beckham in March 2019, sending Jabrill Peppers and a first-round pick (which ended up being defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence) to New York. Beckham made three Pro Bowls as a Giant and totaled four 1,000-yard seasons in five years with his initial team, but in addition to never fitting in with the Browns, the soon-to-be 29-year-old weapon has been frequently hurt. He played through injuries in 2019 and suffered an ACL tear in 2020 — one that kept him out for the first two games of this season. In six games upon returning, Beckham has only topped the two-reception mark twice. He caught one pass for six yards in the Browns’ Week 8 loss to the Steelers.

The Saints are still waiting for All-Pro Michael Thomas‘ return from a late-offseason surgery, though they have since seen fourth-year contributor Tre’Quan Smith return. No Saints pass catcher has topped 300 yards this season, with Marquez Callaway leading the way with 284 yards — a chunk of those coming on a Hail Mary reception in Washington. The Saints cleared more than $100MM in cap space earlier this year, so adding Beckham’s base salary likely would not have been a deal-breaker for a team perpetually up against the salary ceiling. But the sides could not agree on terms, ensuring OBJ will finish a third season in Cleveland.

Browns Won’t Trade Odell Beckham Jr.

November 2nd, 2021 at 9:58am CST by Zachary Links

Sounds like Odell Beckham Jr. is staying put. The Browns have no plans on trading the star wide receiver before the afternoon deadline, according to sources who spoke with Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Browns have gotten calls on Beckham, but Russini hears that none of the offers were to their liking.

The Browns had at least some interest in listening, given Beckham’s health issues. Last year, a torn ACL shut him down after Week 7. This year, he’s been dealing with a shoulder malady. OBJ has been active since Week 3, but he’s not quite 100% healed up. His best games to date came against the Bears (5 catches for 77 yards) and, more recently, the Cardinals (5/79). Outside of that, we haven’t seen the vintage OBJ in 2021.

All in all, Beckham has 17 catches for 232 yards and zero touchdowns in his six games. His last healthy season came in 2019, when he reeled in 74 grabs for 1,035 yards and four scores. Despite the hiccups, the Browns seem prepared to keep him and pay out the ~$9MM he’s still owed for 2021.

The Browns are 4-4 following Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. Stationed fourth in the sardine-packed AFC North, they don’t seem inclined to sell off their stars between now and 4pm ET/3pm CT.

Browns Likely To Be Quiet At Trade Deadline

October 31st, 2021 at 12:19pm CST by Rory Parks

The Browns, currently sitting at 4-3 and in third place in the AFC North, are not expected to swing a major deal in advance of Tuesday’s trade deadline, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Cabot does not anticipate the club acquiring a high-profile talent or trading one away.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham became the subject of trade speculation even before his first season in Cleveland was over, and those rumors have continued to crop up ever since. The Browns have done their best to quash all such rumblings, and Beckham will likely stay put at least through the end of the 2021 campaign. After all, he is dealing with a painful sprain in his right shoulder, and he is still owed $9MM over the rest of the season, so even if Cleveland were interesting in making a trade, there are obvious hurdles.

Plus, the Browns have every reason to keep Beckham around. Although he and QB Baker Mayfield have yet to develop a consistent rapport, OBJ continues to get open and remains an elite talent, so it would be surprising to see a Cleveland outfit that has postseason aspirations make that type of trade.

The same logic applies to tight ends David Njoku and Austin Hooper. Neither player has offered much production in 2021 — aside from a monster Week 5 game for Njoku that accounted for over half of his 2021 receiving yards and his only touchdown — but the hope is that the passing game will improve as the season goes on, just as it did last year. Njoku is playing on an expiring contract and requested a trade on several occasions last summer, but his most recent comments on the matter suggested that he would like to remain in Cleveland, and Cabot expects both him and Hooper to still be Browns once the deadline has passed.

Speaking of Mayfield, Cabot says the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft will likely require offseason surgery on his injured shoulder. His injury has complicated extension talks, and now, if an extension is reached, it probably won’t happen until after the season. Mayfield is under club control through 2022 via the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, which the Browns exercised earlier this year.

In related news, Cleveland does have starting RT Jack Conklin back in action for today’s critical matchup with the Steelers. Conklin had missed the prior two games with a knee injury.

Browns Activate Jarvis Landry From IR

October 21st, 2021 at 11:44am CST by Sam Robinson

11:44am: Landry is indeed back on the Browns’ 53-man roster for Week 7. The Browns activated him from injured reserve, providing Case Keenum with a key weapon tonight.

9:56am: The Browns will be missing their all-world backfield duo and Baker Mayfield against the Broncos on Thursday night, but they should have at least one of their starting wideouts available for this game.

Jarvis Landry is likely to return from IR tonight, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. Landry has missed the past four games due a knee injury sustained on the Browns’ opening drive of their Week 2 contest. While the five-time Pro Bowler would reasonably benefit from an extra 10 days to prepare, the Browns appear prepared to deploy him to help a shorthanded offense tonight. Landry returned to practice last week.

A Landry re-emergence would be crucial for a Browns team down both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, who is now on IR, and one that may not have Odell Beckham Jr. available. The shoulder injury OBJ sustained last week marked a “significant” setback, per Palmer, who notes the injury-prone pass catcher has an uphill battle to play against Denver. The Browns have yet to rule Beckham out, however.

Beckham did not practice during Cleveland’s short week but did play through the injury in the team’s loss to Arizona, catching five passes for a season-high 79 yards in Week 6. Beckham and Landry have not played together in nearly a year; Beckham suffered a torn ACL in Week 7 of last season.

Cleveland’s tackle situation appears to break down similarly. One of the team’s two starters, left tackle Jedrick Wills, is set to be available. Jack Conklin is not expected to play, Palmer tweets. Conklin logged a limited practice Wednesday but missed the Browns’ first two workouts this week. He is battling a knee injury. Swing tackle Chris Hubbard is out for the season; the Browns started rookie James Hudson at right tackle against the Cardinals.

Odell Beckham Jr. To Play In Week 3

September 24th, 2021 at 1:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns will be without Jarvis Landry for a bit, but their other well-paid wide receiver is set to make his 2021 debut. Kevin Stefanski said Friday that Odell Beckham Jr. is good to go for Week 3.

Beckham suffered a torn ACL October 25 of last year, and although the Browns moved forward and snapped their near-two-decade playoff drought without him, the team certainly could use him now. Landry is on IR, and no other Browns wideout has more than three catches this season.

It looked like OBJ would be ready for Week 1, after the team was “amazed” with the eighth-year receiver’s recovery ahead of training camp. But the Browns scratched him after warmups in Kansas City. They then ruled him out early for Week 2, leading to some additional concern. The 28-year-old target will step back into a key role Sunday against the Bears. Beckham did not miss any practice reps this week, per Stefanski.

Beckham played hurt in 2019 but managed to clear the 1,000-yard barrier. And he scored three touchdowns, including the game-winner, in a shootout against the Cowboys last season. But Beckham’s two Browns yards-per-game figures — 64.7 and 45.6, respectively — are by far the lowest of his career, however. The injury injected additional uncertainty regarding Beckham’s long-term future.

While it is no secret Beckham’s Browns tenure has underwhelmed, both from a health and fit standpoint, he will have a key opportunity to rebuild his stock beginning Sunday.

Browns ‘Amazed’ With Odell Beckham Jr’s Recovery

June 20th, 2021 at 9:28pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We heard last week that Odell Beckham Jr. was working out with Jarvis Landry and Baker Mayfield ahead of minicamp, and now we have another positive update as the star wideout comes off his serious knee injury.

The Browns are “amazed” with where OBJ is in his recovery from surgery, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. Beckham, of course, tore an ACL back in October and missed the rest of the 2020 season. Just eight months later, it appears he’s pretty much back to full strength. Kay Cabot reports he’s “been running fullspeed, cutting on a dime and leaping to make his trademark one-handed catches” during minicamp practices.

She also notes that he’s been doing it “without a brace or sleeve” on his knee. There’s been a lot of talk about the supposed lack of chemistry between Beckham and Mayfield since the former arrived in Cleveland, and Kay Cabot reports the duo “got to know each better off the field during some boating and other recreational activities in Austin” around the time of Mayfield’s aforementioned passing camp in Texas.

That’s got to be music to the ears of Browns fans. The LSU product had 1,035 yards and four touchdowns in his first season in Cleveland in 2019, which was solid but not great by his standards.

Then he had only 23 catches for 319 yards in seven games before going down last year. The Browns made major progress last season, but will need OBJ to get back to his old self if they want to be a true championship contender. Thankfully, everything appears to be going smoothly for the receiver who not too long ago appeared to be on his way out of Cleveland.

WR Rumors: Jones, Toney, Giants, OBJ

June 12th, 2021 at 4:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Julio Jones trade rumors first surfaced because the Falcons identified his contract as a way to create much-needed cap space, but later reports indicated the decorated receiver requested a trade out of Atlanta in March. Traded to the Titans for a package headlined by a second-round pick, Jones described his Falcons divorce as mutual.

“We discussed everything. We just made the decision,” Jones said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was just cut and dry. There was nothing toward football; it’s business. So, you just had to accept whatever happens, happens. Like I said, it was a mutual agreement on it. We just split up.”

The 32-year-old wide receiver built a Hall of Fame resume in Georgia and, for a bit this spring, was slated to team with Calvin Ridley and Kyle Pitts. But this reality never appeared to be on the table. Jones did, in fact, request a trade in March, Ledbetter adds. The All-Pro target said his Atlanta exit did not come about because of the team’s transition from the Dan Quinn era to an Arthur Smith-led staff. The Titans agreed to take on all of Jones’ $15.3MM guaranteed 2021 salary, separating them from the rest of the trade suitors.

Here is the latest wide receiver news from around the league:

Odell Beckham Jr. skipped much of the Browns‘ 2019 offseason program and did not work out with Baker Mayfield during the COVID-19-marred 2020 offseason. Beckham was rehabbing an offseason surgery at that point. Despite having torn an ACL Oct. 25 of last year, OBJ joined Jarvis Landry in working out with Mayfield in Austin this week, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal notes. Landry confirmed Beckham was running routes at Mayfield’s workouts, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. A lack of chemistry between Beckham and Mayfield has been evident during their 1 1/2 seasons together; extra reps should help ahead of a key season for the former Pro Bowl wide receiver. The Browns, who have seen many veterans stay away from OTAs, will convene for minicamp next week.
Kadarius Toney also avoided his team’s OTAs, skipping the Giants‘ pre-minicamp workouts. The first-round pick doing so surprised the team, Dan Duggan of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Toney did not sign his rookie contract until last week but had inked a waiver to protect himself in case of an injury during OTAs. Rookies often work out with their teams before signing their deals. Toney’s four-year, $13.7MM contract is fully guaranteed.
Shortly after the Giants selected Toney 20th overall, Joe Judge called Sterling Shepard to discuss his future with the team, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. “I thought it was necessary to talk to Shep specifically because when we drafted Toney, the word in the press as he was reading those headlines was specifically he’s a slot receiver,” Judge said. “Which, look, we are not bringing in someone to play one position. I thought it was relevant at the time to contact Shep out of respect for how he is with our program to communicate that with him.” Shepard is the longest-tenured Giant, arriving during the Jerry Reese regime. Although Shepard is signed through 2023, the Giants can create more than $6MM in cap space by moving on from him next year. The sixth-year veteran is expected to play more in the slot, following Kenny Golladay‘s arrival, after working there a career-low 34% of the time in 2020.

Browns Will Not Pursue Julio Jones; Patriots’ Interest Mild?

May 28th, 2021 at 10:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after any potential Browns-Aaron Rodgers rumors stopped in their tracks early, the ascending team will pass on the latest big name connected to a trade.

Cleveland is not interested in Julio Jones, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot, who adds no Odell Beckham Jr.-for-Jones swap should be expected. Despite a rocky start in Ohio, which has involved trade rumblings, Beckham remains a player the Browns are high on. They are eager to see him back healthy in 2021, with Cabot adding the team has no plans to adjust its receiver room — which houses OBJ, Jarvis Landry and the recently re-signed Rashard Higgins — at this juncture.

While Cleveland did not profile as a Jones fit, Super Bowl aspirations notwithstanding, New England does. The Patriots have held internal discussions on the future Hall of Fame wideout, but the franchise known to make a splashy receiver trade from time to time may sit this one out. At this point, the Patriots’ interest in Jones is tepid, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer.

The Patriots reside in the top 10 in cap space ($15MM-plus), but they have not signed their top three draft picks. That will account for a few million. Though New England could move some funds around, the Falcons having a first-rounder on the table may change the equation for the Pats. Atlanta would surely prefer to send Jones to the AFC, but if an NFC team is the only one offering a first, that may well take precedence.

New England signed Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne early in free agency, with Agholor collecting more guaranteed money than all but two 2021 UFA receivers (Kenny Golladay and Corey Davis). The Patriots clearly have big plans for the ex-Eagles and Raiders wideout, even though he has been inconsistent. Jones would certainly help Cam Newton and/or Mac Jones, but he does not have a no-trade clause. He may well be sent elsewhere.

AFC Rumors: Broncos, OBJ, Ravens, Mack

May 23rd, 2021 at 3:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Deshaun Watson still has significant off-field issues to surmount before being in the clear to resume his career, but the embattled Texans quarterback’s deposition is not set to take place until after the 2021 season ends. This could put Watson on track to play this season, though our Rory Parks noted a Commissioner’s Exempt List stay may well enter into this equation. The Broncos were once a clear suitor for the Pro Bowl quarterback. Now, their focus has shifted. They prefer an Aaron Rodgers trade to waiting out the Watson saga, according to NFL insider John Clayton of 104.3 The Fan. Far and away the clubhouse leaders in Rodgers rumor mentions, the Broncos are planning to make an aggressive pursuit of the reigning MVP — if the Packers make him available for a trade. While Rodgers has not come out and said he wants to leave Green Bay or indicated where he would like to go, the Broncos were on his reported wish list from the start. The future Hall of Fame passer indeed wants to be traded to the Broncos, Clayton adds. Rodgers is not expected to show up for the Packers’ minicamp next month, according to Madison.com’s Jason Wilde.

Although we still appear a ways away from true trade talks, the June 1 date after which a Rodgers deal becomes less financially constraining for the Packers is approaching. Shifting to players already in the AFC, here is the latest from the conference:

Tavon Young has become one of the NFL’s most injury-prone players, and the Ravens may have selected his heir apparent in Shaun Wade this year. The former early-round Ohio State prospect is expected to begin his career in the slot, and Young is not yet 100%. ACL tears sidelined Young for all of 2017 and 14 games last season, and he missed all of the 2019 season due to a neck ailment. Baltimore DC Don Martindale said Young has not been fully cleared from his latest round of ACL rehab, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets. Young has missed an astounding 47 games over the past four seasons. Thanks to restructuring Young’s contract, the Ravens would be tagged with more than $9MM in dead money over the next two years were they to cut the veteran corner after June 1.
Better news may be coming out of another AFC North contender’s headquarters. Odell Beckham Jr. has resumed sprinting after suffering an ACL tear last November, and Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer expects the Pro Bowl wideout to be in the Browns‘ Week 1 lineup. Beckham’s injury may have helped keep him in Cleveland, depressing the trade market for the talented wideout who has yet to truly take off with the Browns. Trade rumors have followed Beckham in Cleveland, but he is set to return at a $14.5MM salary this season.
In more injury rehab news, the Colts had Marlon Mack back on the field this week. Mack did not participate fully in Indianapolis’ OTA sessions this week, but Stephen Holder of The Athletic notes the fifth-year running back was available for part of the voluntary workouts (subscription required). Mack sustained a torn Achilles in Week 1 last season. He re-signed with the Colts on a one-year, $2MM deal, pointing to optimism the former fourth-round pick will be ready to go to start this season.

Latest On Browns’ Receivers

March 7th, 2021 at 5:25pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Browns are coming off their most successful season in decades, but they’ve got very important questions to figure out this offseason. One of the most pressing questions is what’s going to happen in their receivers room.

Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. both have big cap hits for 2021, and there was a report back in November after Beckham tore his ACL that some believed he had played his final down as a Brown. GM Andrew Berry tried to squash that when he recently said Beckham was still very much in the team’s plans moving forward, and head coach Kevin Stefanski echoed that sentiment this week. “I think we can, yeah,” Stefanski said to Keyshawn Johnson on ESPN Radio when asked whether the team can fit Landry and Beckham’s salaries for 2021, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

Interestingly, Kay Cabot writes that Cleveland “would likely listen to offers for Beckham this offseason,” but that “there’s not expected to be much of a market” for him given his contract and the knee injury he’s coming off of. She notes the team could get out of Landry’s deal with only $3MM in dead cap, but doesn’t think they have any plans to cut him.

Stefanski spoke very highly of Beckham’s efforts to get his knee right, saying “he attacks rehab like I’ve never seen people do it.” Thankfully everything seems to be going well with his recovery and he should be all systems go for 2021.

The Browns also have a third key receiver flying more under the radar, Rashard Higgins. Kay Cabot writes that the impending free agent will receive a contract offer whenever the cap is set, but that if he receives an offer in the $6MM annually range that Spotrac.com estimates him at, it’ll likely be “more than the Browns are willing to pay.”

“If he can get that on the open market, he’ll likely be gone,” she writes. Higgins caught 37 passes for 599 yards and four touchdowns last year. As of right now, it looks like Landry and Beckham are strong favorites to be back catching passes from Baker Mayfield next year, although that seemingly could change if a team steps up with trade interest in Beckham. Higgins’ status is more up in the air, and it appears to be trending toward him heading elsewhere.

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