Getty Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
The latest rumblings out of Cleveland have Odell Beckham leaving after the season. And the oddsmakers have adjusted their lines accordingly.
The Browns wide receiver recently celebrated his 27th birthday and declared “2020 will be the best year of my life.” Cleveland has been struggling to live up to extreme expectations and own a disappointing 2-7 record.
They had widely been considered to compete for a Super Bowl this year. That hasn’t happened. According to the Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot, Beckham first fueled speculation about possible unhappiness in Cleveland when he called “life krazy” in an Instagram post.
The popular oddsmaker SportsLine has put out a listing of potential landing spots for Beckham in 2020. The Browns are the betting favorite at -500 but there are other intriguing options on the list. The Patriots rank second at +400, with the Packers (+600) and 49ers (+750) rounding out the top choices.
Which NFL team will Odell Beckham be playing for Week 1 of the 2020 season?
Browns -500
Patriots +400
Packers +600
49ers +750
Vikings +800
Bills +900
Raiders +1000
Jets +1200
Via @SportsLine Oddsmakers
Could the Philadelphia Eagles Get Beckham?
The Eagles failed to make SportsLine’s odds chart, but it’s not insane to think they would be in the mix for Odell Beckham in 2020. The six-year veteran has familiarity playing in the NFC East after spending his first five seasons in New York and loves the spotlight that goes with being in a large media market. Philadelphia certainly fits that bill.
There is no arguing the fact that the Eagles desperately need a big-time receiver to help Carson Wentz out. Their biggest offseason acquisition was DeSean Jackson and he’s out for the rest of the regular season after undergoing surgery on a torn abdominal muscle.
There’s no telling if the soon-to-be 33-year-old speed threat will be the same player when he returns. The three-year deal Jackson signed is essentially a two-year deal, so the team could opt to part ways with him.
Enter Beckham. He has consistently been one of the top playmakers in football since entering the league in 2014. He’s qualified for three Pro Bowls while catching 429 balls for 6,051 receiving yards and 45 touchdowns, with a healthy 14.2 yards per receptions. His crazy one-handed grabs have become weekly highlight-reel plays, almost too common to fully appreciate at this point.
Odell Beckham’s Contract Too Good To Be True
If Cleveland were to consider parting ways with Odell Beckham, he would come at an insanely cheap price. The Giants signed him to a five-year extension last August worth $90 million, including $41 million guaranteed at signing and $65 million in total guarantees.
New York has already paid him $21.459 million. That’s nearly half the total value of the guaranteed money, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Browns can cut him at any time and barely be penalized a single dime.
Odell Beckham’s contract is massive – but also completely team friendly after this season. He is signed through 2023, but can be cut at any time with barely any penalty to the team’s cap.
According to Spotrac, the Eagles have roughly $22 million in salary-cap space this year and $35.5 million reserved for 2020. The team will have to make key decisions on a few players, such as whether to extend Nelson Agholor, Jordan Howard, Rodney McLeod, Ronald Darby and Jason Peters who are all expensive unrestricted free agents. Malcolm Jenkins has also been lobbying for a pay raise.
It probably makes sense to cut ties with several of their aging stars with the way things are going right now. The team already drafted Peters’ replacement in Andre Dillard and the rookie has flashed promise. They’ll probably want to re-sign Howard and appease Jenkins (although the safety has looked to be in decline). Meanwhile, Agholor and Darby have struggled and are prime candidates to leave.
Andre Dillard had a good game against the #Bears defensive line. Didn’t hear his name one time.
So, yes, the Eagles have the flexibility to absorb Beckham’s contract. Would the Browns even consider moving him? Probably not, unless Beckham forced his way out. But it’s fun to dream about him catching touchdowns against the Giants twice a year.
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