Odell Beckham Jr. to the New England Patriots?
That’s what some Pats fans on Twitter are clamoring for in wake of the wide receiver’s release from the Cleveland Browns on Friday.
It’s been a wild week on the OBJ front, with the three-time Pro Bowl selection being excused from practice on back-to-back days Wednesday and Thursday after his father posted a video on Instagram of Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield not throwing to Beckham or missing him entirely. It seemed like only a matter of time before Cleveland parted ways with the star wideout, and the team announced Friday it was working with Beckham’s representatives to facilitate his departure.
“We appreciate all his efforts and contributions while in Cleveland, but we’ve just reached a point where it is best that we move forward as a team without Odell,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said in a statement. “We are finalizing the process of granting Odell his release and we wish him well as he continues his career.”
This obviously sent shockwaves across both the NFL and social media, with football fans and those who cover the league immediately wondering where Beckham might land. The Patriots always are a popular hypothetical destination whenever a high-profile player becomes available, and that was the case again Friday as speculation about Beckham’s future ran wild on the internet.
Check out some of the tweets calling for Bill Belichick to pursue Beckham.
Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter the Browns are converting Beckham’s base salary into a signing bonus to lower his cap number in an effort to save money. Beckham reportedly will be released once the new contract is finalized, which could be anytime in the next few days. After that, he can be claimed on waivers, and the Patriots currently are 15th in the NFL waiver order.
Beckham, who turned 29 on Friday, is immensely talented, evident by his time with the New York Giants, when he emerged as one of the NFL’s best wide receivers. The 2014 first-round draft pick averaged 96 receptions, 1,374 receiving yards and nearly 12 TDs per year across his first three seasons with the G-Men.
To say Beckham’s Cleveland tenure was a disappointment would be an understatement, however, as he played in just seven games last season and totaled 17 receptions for 232 yards without a touchdown in six games this season before his release.
What version of OBJ will show up upon changing uniforms? It’s tough to say, but it’s hard to imagine him not being in demand, especially with the NFL trade deadline having passed this week and it being more difficult to land impact players at this point in the season.
