Getty Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham.
Rumors are swirling once again that the Cleveland Browns are shopping Odell Beckham Jr., and Fox Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd is downright giddy about the situation, both backing the report with an anonymous source and using the opportunity to take a shot at the Browns.
Cowherd isn’t much of a news-breaker, but the noted talking head did gain some notoriety this offseason for being one of the first to report that Tom Brady was heading to Tampa Bay. On the Beckham situation, Cowherd said his source told him, “OBJ wants out.”
“You know the source who gave me the ‘Tom Brady to Tampa Bay’ story? The same source just texted me, ‘OBJ wants out.’ He’s been a good soldier and he’s not going to make a big deal. He’ll deny it and he wants to get along with everybody,” Cowherd said on Wednesday. “OBJ has been a very good soldier in Cleveland. Has he been projecting on Instagram? Yeah, because he’s in the middle of nowhere and he’s a superstar. Let’s just say this – OBJ will not go public, and he knows Minnesota is a good place and he knows it’s a good fit. I’m just going to leave it at that.”
“The same source that gave me the ‘Tom Brady to Tampa Bay’ story just texted me…
…Odell Beckham Jr. wants out…”
Cowherd was reacting to a report from WFAN’s Marc Malusis, who reported that the Browns and Vikings are in trade talks for Beckham that would involve picks in this year’s NFL Draft, which begins April 23.
“Source has told me that the Browns and Vikings are in discussions on a trade that would send [Beckham] to the Vikings for a 2nd and 5th round pick next year. Trade is not done, but the deal is being discussed,” Malusis wrote.
Colin Cowherd Vocal Adversary of Browns
GettyBrowns quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Since the Browns gained some major hype last offseason following the Beckham trade, Cowherd has been one of their most vocal adversaries, taking shots at Beckham, Baker Mayfield, and the culture of the franchise in general. Just recently he broke down why Beckham is not a fit in Cleveland.
“If you go look at Baker Mayfield’s targets of Odell Beckham last year, Baker was awful,” Cowherd said. “He felt like he had to force the ball to him. He only completed [55.6] percent of his throws when targeting Odell; last in the NFL.”
Baker Mayfield completed 55.6% of his throwing while targeting Odell Beckham Jr last season — Last in the NFL.
@ColinCowherd on why the Browns should move on from OBJ:
He went on to say Beckham could be a star with the right fit — which he doesn’t feel is in Cleveland.
“Odell Beckham is not AB. He’s not Antonio Brown,” Cowherd said. “He is coachable. He is in the right system entirely dependable. He’s proven to be — when structure is around — a very good teammate; a little needy for my taste, but you know I’m older, he’s younger. It’s a generational thing.
“This is not a player we should bail on. It is a player Cleveland should move off of. They do not have the requisite structure for a young man that needs it to flourish.”
Andrew Berry: Browns Will Listen to Trade Offers
GettyOdell Beckham Jr. #13 of the Cleveland Browns warms up prior to the start of the game against the Seattle Seahawks at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 13, 2019, in Cleveland, Ohio.
While at the combine, Browns new General Manager Andrew Berry made a surprising statement, saying the team will listen to trade offers for just about anyone on the team — including Beckham.
“I won’t discuss any specific player in terms of trade opportunities, trade calls or anything like that,’’ Berry said when specifically asked about Beckham, per cleveland.com. “I did work under probably the strongest wheeler-dealer in the league under [Eagles GM] Howie Roseman and it’s something that you always pick up the phone and you listen to anything across the table.
“A lot of trade talk ends up being hollow across the NFL anyway. But again, we’re going to exploit any opportunity to improve the roster through any means necessary.”
However, owner Jimmy Haslam made it very clear that he “absolutely” expects Beckham on the Browns next year.
“Odell is extremely talented,” Haslam said during the introductory press conference for Berry. “He was hampered by the groin injury. Listen, he could have done some things better and we could have done some things better. I think Kevin [Stefanski] is very excited to have Odell on the team. The surgery went well, he’s rehabbing and we look forward to having him and being a big, big producer for the team this year.”
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