Cleveland Browns star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was not dealt ahead of the 2021 NFL trade deadline, but his name was brought up plenty on Tuesday. According to Jordan Schultz, the Browns were listening to offers for Beckham, but they didn’t field a pitch that made sense. One of the teams that was in the running for Beckham was reportedly the New Orleans Saints.
According to ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin, the Saints were discussing a potential trade for Beckham, but the two sides could not come to terms on a deal. Martin says that how much money Beckham was owed this season was a holdup in negotiations. According to Spotrac, Beckham has a $14.5 million base salary for 2021, and a cap hit of $15.75 million.
Schultz reports that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has internally “expressed his desire” to keep the star wideout, but it’s fair to question if that’s what Beckham wanted. This week, Beckham’s father posted a video on Instagram that was a reel of lowlights from Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. The clips showed Mayfield failing to see an open Beckham on some plays, and failing to hit him in stride on others. To make matters worse, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James tweeted about Beckham on Tuesday:
Beckham has caught just 17 passes for 232 yards and zero touchdowns in six games played this season. The Saints would have made for an intriguing landing spot, as their top two wide receivers have missed time this season. New Orleans just lost starting quarterback Jameis Winston for the year due to a torn ACL, but the Saints have no plans of giving up on the 2021 campaign, as they have a defense that can carry them to the postseason.
Martin reports that there is still optimism in the Browns building that Beckham can be someone who helps Cleveland make the playoffs. However, it remains unknown how happy he really is.
