With the flamboyant OBJ joining Mayfield and Landry, Cleveland is about to turn up.
When Odell Beckham Jr. basically strong-armed the New York Giants into a $95 million contract after playing just four games in 2017, and then got on TV with Lil Wayne and clowned the organization, the city and two-time Super Bowl winning QB Eli Manning in a bizarre interview with Josina Anderson, his days as a Giant were numbered. This was especially true after playing in 12 games and the Giants stumbled to 5-11 in 2018.
It was comedy to most everyone except Giants ownership, who ultimately decided that Beckham’s explosive potential and past accolades weren’t worth the trouble and traded the All-Pro receiver to the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday for a first-round, third-round pick and safety Jabrill Peppers. A trade that rocked the NFL.
Breaking: Odell Beckham Jr. has been traded to the Browns, sources confirmed to @AdamSchefter. The deal was first reported by NFL Network. pic.twitter.com/nynEYnDvdO
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 13, 2019
Social media responded immediately. Some football analysts couldn’t find sense in trading one of the game’s special talents.
What in the world are @Giants thinking? Why does a team EVA trade a transcendent player in height of his career? Guys like @obj come around once in a generation… kudos 2 @Browns 4 realizing that & making deal to get him! Can’t wait to watch Clev play – let’s get season started!
— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) March 13, 2019
The most common response throughout the football community was one of shock.
👀👀👀👀
— DIGGS (@stefondiggs) March 13, 2019
https://twitter.com/P2/status/1105620130455642112
🤯🤯🤯
— Victor Cruz (@TeamVic) March 13, 2019
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, however, was ecstatic. The second-year rising star now has two top notch receivers in Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham to air it out too.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu7X7HkFbux/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The Browns offense should be off the chain this season.
Movement. https://t.co/uFDcRq7OI0
— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) March 13, 2019
The Giants and GM David Gettleman are admitting that they made a mistake by signing OBJ before the season began. When healthy, Beckham is one of the league’s ultimate playmakers. But the reality is that he averaged less than 50 catches, while scoring just nine TDs, over the last two season because of injuries, all while blaming the QB.
It was just too toxic to overcome. At the end of the day, the Giants can use the picks to help rebuild a team that has some glaring weaknesses. Beckham Jr. wasn’t expecting a trade, but everything he said and did last season indicated he wanted out.
Just talked to Odell Beckham Jr, who said he had a “brief” convo w/Dave Gettleman. “At this point I have no idea what to think. I’m trying to process it right now.” Said leaving #NYG is “bittersweet, but it is what it is. It’s life.”
— Kim Jones (@KimJonesSports) March 13, 2019
The OBJ era was a lightning bolt that struck Big Blue nation with the force of a Range Rover doing 250 mph. Most fans expected to see many more moments like the one-handed catch against the Dallas Cowboys that immortalized him in NFL lore, propelled his jersey to one of the NFL’s highest selling in the league and had every kid catching footballs with one hand and walking around with blond hair.
Beckham’s infectious personality had a captivating influence on the culture. It should take him no time to become the most famous person in Cleveland. The new LeBron James, but with more charisma and definitely more edge. He just wasn’t what the Giants felt they needed right now, so it was time to turn the page on no. 13.
