The 5 NFL teams who'd love to see Odell Beckham Jr. get released by the Cleveland Browns
If the Browns release Odell Beckham Jr., here's who'll be interested.
Odell Beckham Jr.’s time as a Cleveland Brown may be coming to an end sooner than expected. The former All-Pro and offensive rookie of the year is only three seasons into a five-year, $90 million extension he’d signed as a New York Giant, but it’s coming increasingly clear he won’t see that contract through. After being excused from practice Wednesday and Thursday, he may not even finish the 2021 season in Cleveland.
It would be a disappointing ending to a pairing that never quite worked out. Beckham was supposed to elevate Baker Mayfield and the Browns’ passing offense and help put decades of losing in the rear view. The latter happened, but mostly without OBJ. Despite a 1,000-yard season in his debut season, his 64.7 yards per game that fall were a career low.
He’s played just 13 games in the season-plus since. A 25.6 percent target share in 2019 has dropped to 14.7 in 2021. That drop-off has not gone unnoticed.
What we have now is a team and player at an impasse. The Browns opted not to deal Beckham before this year’s trade deadline, so their only option for parting ways would be a release that would leave a little under $9 million of dead money on the team’s salary cap. They could also keep him rostered through the end of the season and cut him next season without any cap penalty.
The second option seems more likely, but if the gulf between the two sides widens a player who once averaged 108 receiving yards per game could become available on the waiver wire or as a free agent. For the sake of argument, let’s say the Browns cut bait. Who would be most interested in securing Beckham’s services?