As NFL free agency and the draft approach, speculation is once again swirling around Odell Beckham Jr. and his future with the Cleveland Browns.
The latest idea for a trade involving Beckham comes from Will Brinson of CBS, who pitched an intriguing scenario where the New England Patriots trade for Beckham in exchange for a first-round pick. Here’s what Brinson wrote in his 2020 mock draft article:
“We’ll spice things up by having the Patriots deal their first-round pick to Cleveland for none other than Odell Beckham Jr. No one can say the deal for Odell from the Giants worked out well for the Browns. A first-year coach got fired. A second-year GM got fired. Baker Mayfield took huge steps back.”
Brinson then has the Browns picking offensive tackle Andrew Thomas of Georgia with their first pick (No. 10) and wide receiver Henry Ruggs III out of Alabama with the Patriots pick (No. 23) to replace the production of Beckham.
“The Browns ship out Odell Beckham to the Patriots to make Tom Brady happy and convince him to take a little less money, then the Browns draft Ruggs as his replacement,” Brinson wrote.
Beckham has been open about his admiration for the Patriots organization, even saying before last season that he wanted to make the Browns the “New Patriots.”
“Just to clarify, I will always aspire to be great. I haven’t reached that point in the NFL but that’s what we all chase and I’m going to continue to work to help the Browns become great. Never meant the Browns are the new Patriots or going to be the new Patriots. I just have great respect for what they’ve done but definitely recognize the work that has to be done to get there.”
Odell Beckham Did Not Live up to Wild Expectations During First Year in Cleveland
GettyBrowns WR Odell Beckham Jr.
The Browns traded for Beckham in a blockbuster deal last offseason, but the experiment didn’t exactly go as planned. Despite breaking the 1,000-yard barrier, Beckham did not live up to the wild expectations set for him, finishing his first season in Cleveland with 1,035 yards and four touchdowns in a year that was defined more by what happened off the field than on it.
Beckham made some noise with a curious interview late in the season with the team struggling, saying he was unsure what the future holds.
After weeks of speculation as the season was winding down, Beckham finally came out and shot down the rumors that were spreading like wildfire that he would demand a trade in the offseason and not be back in Cleveland.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Beckham told reporters. “I’ll be here. We’ll figure this thing out. It’s just too special to leave. [I heard I want to go] to the Steelers. I heard Jarvis wanted to go to the Cardinals. It’s just easy to talk about us. … We’re going to be here [next season]. We’re going to do it again, and we’re going to be what we felt like we should’ve been [in 2019]. We’ll correct all the little mistakes. It’s just too good here. I didn’t buy a house here to sell it.”
Browns ‘Happy to Have’ Odell Beckham
GettyBrowns wide receivers Rashard Higgins, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry.
Beckham recently had core surgery to resolve an injury that hindered him all season. Never say never, but with his health improved and a refreshed mindset heading in his second-year under a new regime, it sounds like Browns are ready to give it another run with Beckham playing alongside his buddy, Jarvis Landry.
“We’ve had really great conversations,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said of Beckham, who had surgery Jan. 21 to repair a hip and groin injury. “He’s one of the most talented receivers in the league. And we’re certainly happy to have him here.”
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Potential Browns-Patriots Odell Beckham Trade Detailed by Analyst