CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This is one birthday that Odell Beckham Jr. will never forget.
Beckham, who turns 29 today, is being released by the Browns, the club announced Friday.
A source told cleveland.com that a financial agreement is being finalized between the Browns and Beckham, and that the move will be official as soon as they sign the agreement.
He’ll be free to sign with any team if he clears waivers.
“After careful consideration, internal discussions and conversations with Odell and his representation, we’ve determined that it is in the best interest of all parties involved that Odell no longer play for the Cleveland Browns,’' Browns GM said in a statement released by the team. “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. We are finalizing the process of granting Odell his release and we wish him well as he continues his career.”
A source told cleveland.com that Beckham asked to be traded multiple times, including in the offseason when he was coming off surgery to repair a torn ACL. He asked again after the Steelers game, which cleveland.com has reported multiple times, in which he caught one pass for 6 yards.
Browns negotiated to help Beckham become a free agent and not get claimed via waivers
As things came to a head, the 4-4 Browns wanted to eliminate the distraction as soon as they could. They have a huge game Sunday in Cincinnati against the 5-3 Bengals, and Kevin Stefanski has said ‘our lives depend on it’ and ‘we’re desperate’ for the win.
The Steelers’ game ultimately proved to be the last straw for Beckham and his camp, who watched him catch only 17 of 34 targets this season for 232 yards and no touchdowns, a source told clevelanddotcom.
The 15-10 loss to the Steelers, in which Beckham played 43 snaps for 73%, was the fourth time in six games that Beckham finished with receiving yardage in the 20s or less -- something that happened only three times in his 59 games with the Giants.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio first reported on Thursday night that Beckham would be released on Friday after they revise the contract, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday morning that it will happen as soon as the Browns convert base salary into signing bonus to lower his cap number to save money.
Cleveland.com reported on Wednesday that Beckham had likely played his last ball for the Browns after things came to a head in the wake of Sunday’s 15-10 loss to the Steelers that dropped the Browns to 4-4.
On Tuesday, the day of the trade deadline at 4 p.m., Beckham’s father posted a video on Instagram of Baker Mayfield avoiding or missing Beckham on throws. The post wasn’t the reason the Browns decided to release Beckham, but it created a firestorm at the their headquarters in Berea, and left a blindsided Mayfield beside himself.
Beckham, who’s still owed $8.05 million of his $15.75 million cap hit by the Browns, must clear waivers before he can become a free agent now that the trade deadline has passed, but the restructuring lowers his waiver price and makes it more likely he’ll be claimed.
Beckham and his agent, Zeke Sandhu, hope to keep the number high enough that no one will claim the three-time Pro Bowler and he can sign with any team.
The Browns, after Beckham had asked to be traded multiple times, reached the point where they no longer care if Beckham ends up with a team where he could come back to haunt them during the season or in the playoffs. The Ravens, Raiders and Chiefs are all teams ahead of the Browns in the AFC who could use a receiver of Beckham’s caliber at the right price.
The trade request on Monday and Beckham Sr.’s post were just the culmination of a relationship between Beckham and the Browns that seemed ill-fated from the time John Dorsey acquired him on March 13, 2019 in a trade with the Giants for first-round safety Jabrill Peppers, and first- and third-round picks in 2019.
Beckham, despite being reunited with his best friend from their LSU days in Jarvis Landry, stated that he felt Giants GM Dave Gettleman sent him here to die -- and from a career standpoint, he was right.
If Beckham hadn’t been so overlooked in the Steelers game, the relationship may have been able to be salvaged, and he could’ve been here for what they hope is their second straight playoff campaign. But Beckham serving again primarily as a blocker and a decoy in a game in which the Browns scored only 10 points were too much for him and his inner circle to take.
The game illustrated once again that Beckham and Mayfield never had any chemistry, and it was trending in the wrong direction. They were so off during the 2019 season in Freddie Kitchens’ dysfunctional offense that Beckham made it known to friends in the league during the season that he’d welcome a quick exit.
The situation appeared more hopeful when Kitchens and Dorsey were fired after that 6-10 debacle, and Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry took over before the 2020 offseason.
Stefanski immediately let Beckham know that he was a valued member of the offense and would be showcased accordingly. Beckham climbed on board with the program and was willing to do whatever it took to make the previously rocky alliance work.
Stefanski made good on his promise despite the fact Mayfield and Beckham still lacked a connection in the first half of the season. In the 49-38 victory over the Cowboys, he had Landry throw a touchdown pass to Beckham, and ran him on a reverse with the game on the line that proved to be the 50-yard gameclincher. He scored three TDs in all that game, strapping the team on his back and almost singlehandedly winning it himself.
Beckham’s 2020 season ended on yet another misfire between him and Mayfield, when a sideline pass in Cincinnati on Oct. 25th sailed over Beckham’s head and was picked off by cornerback Darius Phillips. Beckham tore the ACL trying to make the tackle, and underwent season-ending surgery.
He spent the offseason rehabbing tirelessly and poised to spring a new and improved Beckham on the the NFL.
He asked to be traded -- and the Browns were more than willing to deal him -- but a $12.791 injury guarantee had already kicked in, and there was no trade market for him.
He missed most of training camp while still coming back from the injury, and didn’t take any team reps over the summer with Mayfield. That hurt, just like not throwing him to him in the previous two offseasons did.
The opener in Kansas City was the first sign of a disconnect this season between Beckham and the Browns. They fully expected him to play, and he decided in pregame warmups that he wasn’t ready. It was a shocker for the Browns, who pressed inexperienced third-round receiver Anthony Schwartz into service in that 33-29 loss.
At that point, Beckham and his camp had decided they would dictate Beckham’s career on his own terms and do what was best for his body and career. He has no guaranteed money after this season, and it was evident it was his last in Cleveland.
But Beckham continued to be a great teammate inside the building and on the field, and the coaches appreciated his willingness to play hurt and mentor the younger players. He suffered a Grade 3 AC join sprain in his right shoulder vs. the Cardinals, and almost didn’t play vs. the Broncos on Thursday night..
In pre-game warmups, he caught passes from offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, and decided he could gut it out. With Donovan Peoples-Jones injuring his groin in pre-game warmups and being ruled out, the Browns were grateful Beckham took one for the team despite excruciating pain.
He put his head down and didn’t make public waves despite games like the 47-42 loss to the Chargers, in which he was targeted only three times by Mayfield and caught two passes for 20 yards. He dropped a crucial 4th and 2 in the red zone at the end of the half, and Mayfield targeted him only two more times the rest of the game.
Afterwards, he sat on the bench for a long while lost deep in his thoughts. It was clear it wasn’t working again, and that he’d probably need to ask for a trade before Tuesday’s deadline. His parents and his girlfriend, Lauren Wood, sat in a luxury field-side suite, and some of the NBA stars in attendance stopped by to chat. Beckham’s friend, LeBron James, was also there.
Beckham wanted to put on a show, and he ended up with 20 yards yet again.
The look on his face and his body language after that game screamed ‘it’s over.’
When Beckham asked to be traded this week, the Browns talked to the Saints, but New Orleans didn’t make an offer. There wasn’t enough time to pull off the NBA-style deal it would’ve taken to make such a trade feasible.
After the trade deadline passed, a release became inevitable, and his father, Odell Beckham Sr. posting the ‘Odell is Always Open’ video was just one more event that brought it fruition. Browns players were told by Stefanski on Wednesday that Beckham was not with the team, and to proceed accordingly.
The video disparaged Mayfield, and there was no way the Browns were going to put up with their franchise quarterback being made to look bad.
In the wake of a quote from an anonymous Browns player to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo that Beckham “does nothing. He talks to no one. He’s just got a malcontent attitude,’' teammates jumped to OBJ’s defense.
“Nobody ever said that,’' cornerback Greg Newsome tweeted.
“....literally took me under his wing when I got here,’' tweeted Schwartz.
To be sure, Beckham was well-loved in the locker room, and was known for bestowing gifts such as cleats and headphones on his teammates. During practice, he was often seen dancing, singing and giving young players tips.
Browns players such as John Johnson III said Thursday that the majority of Browns players wanted Beckham back in the building.
But he won’t be celebrating his birthday anywhere near the Browns facility.
More Browns coverage
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Browns midseason grades on offense
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Peoples-Jones the best example of benefits of moving on: Bastock
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The OBJ Orange and Brown Talk Roundtable
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