Odell Beckham Jr’s time with the Cleveland Browns is over.
The Browns officially announced his release on Friday, with General Manager Andrew Berry saying, “We have just reached a point where it is best to move forward as a team without Odell”.
Beckham was once one of the league’s biggest stars, but since the New York Giants swapped him for Cleveland in 2019, his light has diminished significantly.
He’s never found chemistry with quarterback Baker Mayfield, and this season he’s only got 17 receptions for 232 yards and has yet to find the end zone.
The situation turned sour earlier this week when Beckham’s father, Odell Beckham Sr. posted a video on social media blaming Mayfield for his son’s fights and showing the number of times he failed to throw the ball when he did was open.
Beckham will now be sent waivers but will not be available until Monday, which means the weekend will be dominated by speculation about his potential landing site.
Here are the five goals that make the most sense from both the team and the player’s perspective.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs don’t have much firepower behind Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce – Mecole Hardman is a practical player, but he’s not a No. 2 wideout.
Very few people saw her 4-4 coming, but there is absolutely nothing to worry about in the long run with Patrick Mahomes and this offensive. Any recipient on the planet would love Mahomes tossing his passports, and his ability to create and improvise on the go could be perfect for Beckham, who is prone to freelance work on his routes.
The Chiefs have already proven that they love talent by signing Josh Gordon. This step didn’t work, but OBJ has a lot more up its sleeve. He’d love to find a ring, and there aren’t many better places to do it than Kansas City.
2. Las Vegas Raiders
The terrible situation with Henry Ruggs left a hole in the wide receiver for the Raiders. They are now without any real downfield threat – a role Beckham excels in – and with Las Vegas an unexpected contender at AFC West, they could grab the chance to add a player of his caliber.
They have experience bringing in volatile veteran receivers, and let’s just say the experiment didn’t go well, but Beckham is well below Antonio Brown on the malfunction scale. You could see how he forged a great relationship with Derek Carr, who always seems to go out of his way to support his teammates. Beckham is needy. He loves to be loved. There’s an unlikely bromance here just waiting to bloom.
Beckham hasn’t scored a touchdown this season (Picture: USA Today)
3. Green Bay Packer
If you’re looking to revive your career, there could be worse things you can do than let Aaron Rodgers throw you passes while Davante Adams soaks up double cover.
Like the Chiefs, the Packers lack a true number two receiver and they just lost tight end Robert Tonyan to an ACL injury at the end of the season. There are goals to be circumvented, and the absence of which we know is something Beckham in Cleveland was frustrated with.
Every team that competes should at least look at Beckham. The Packers, at 7-1, possibly in their final season with one of the game’s greatest quarterbacks, should do more than just take a look.
4. Baltimore Ravens
You have to believe that with the chance to repay immediately for the Browns, Beckham would drool by joining a division rival. Imagine the festivities if he found the end zone against his old team. It would put his pissing dog escapade to shame.
Sadly, Beckham can’t choose his next club, but the Ravens should come up with the idea of granting him a sweet revenge. Marquise Brown is having an excellent season and first-round rookie Rashod Bateman has returned from injury, but with Lamar Jackson throwing a lot this season there is room to add OBJ to the mix.
5. Detroit Lions
The odd thing about the group is that the Lions couldn’t be further from a Super Bowl run, but the only blessing for them to have the worst record in the league is that they hit the first crack at Beckham on the waiver. Get wire.
There has rarely been a poorer group of wide receivers on an NFL roster than what Detroit has put out this season. Beckham could give them a ready-made star and some much-needed support for Jared Goff (plus, more importantly, his replacement, which they’ll inevitably design next April).
Would Beckham be happy with this move? Maybe not. Though he would instantly become the most famous player in the franchise – a role that you feel would enjoy. Besides, let’s face it, that would be fun, wouldn’t it?
