For more than a year, talk of Odell Beckham's
miscasting in Cleveland was never actually
acknowledged by either the team or the star
wide receiver. Now? The Cleveland Browns
announced on Friday that they plan to release
the three-time Pro Bowl receiver.
https://twitter.com/Browns/status/1456623388861030404

The split will happen once finances are agreed
upon. The two sides have been negotiating to
turn his remaining $8 million salary into a base
salary, ... which would make it easier for another
team to claim him.

Baker Mayfield and coach Kevin Stefanski had
long supported Beckham's presence on the team,
but with the latter now voicing displeasure behind
closed doors -- and, apparently, through ancillary
sources like his father, or Cleveland sports legend
LeBron James -- his days in a Browns uniform are
through.

With that in mind, where could Beckham end up in
the event he's waived and/or ends up as a street
free agent? Here are some potential landing spots:

[ clarifying insert, not part of original
article, included in brackets ]

~~~

1. Saints

They reportedly discussed a trade for Beckham prior
to the deadline, so it's obvious they're interested. With
Michael Thomas now out for the year, they desperately
need WR help, and even more so with Jameis Winston
also sidelined for good. Beckham might not salivate
at the thought of catching passes from Trevor Siemian ...

.... or Taysom Hill, but he's from the area and would in-
stantly become WR1 again -- likely with a chance to re-
turn to the market in 2022.

~~~

2. Patriots

No one takes more chances on discarded big-name
veterans than New England, and the Patriots can also
promise him a decent role, with Kendrick Bourne and
Nelson Agholor best suited for complementary spots.

The Patriot Way may or may not be a long-term match,
but with the team hanging around in the AFC East, they
have reason to gamble to help out Mac Jones. As a bo-
nus, front-office consultant Eliot Wolf was the Browns'
assistant GM when Cleveland traded for Beckham back
in 2019.

~~~

3. Raiders

The Raiders have been burned by splashy moves for trou-
bled WRs before ... , but Mike Mayock is all in on a playoff
run this year, even with all the outside controversy of this
season. With Henry Ruggs III suddenly out of the picture,
they could really use WR help to stay out front in the AFC
West. Derek Carr would surely work hard to get OBJ his
targets.

~~~

4. Chiefs

Their offensive problems aren't solely or primarily stem-
ming from a lack of talent, but one way to help Patrick
Mahomes settle down might be giving him yet another
big-play outlet. Beckham would be playing second fiddle
to Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, perhaps, but K.C. throws
it so much that he'd still see a bump in action.

The Chiefs, remember, sniffed around WR additions prior
to this season.

~~~

5. 49ers

San Francisco has quietly slipped out of the limelight in
recent weeks, but fresh off a promising win with Jimmy
Garoppolo, they could be itching to catapult themselves
back into the NFC West conversation. They fell in love
with Beckham before, exploring a trade for the former
Giants star, and haven't trusted Brandon Aiyuk all year.

He'd be an easy upgrade over Mohamed Sanu opposite
Deebo Samuel.

~~~

6. Ravens

Baltimore has gotten No. 1 WR production from Marquise
Brown, & they're capable of making a run as is. But Beck-
ham would easily make for an upgrade on the other side,
taking pressure off Sammy Watkins and Rashod Bateman
to stay healthy.

Lamar Jackson's off-script style might not always gel with
Odell, but the latter would also get to stick it to Cleveland
by staying in the North.

~~~

7. Cowboys [ Cowboys / Jerry Jones highly unlikely to rock
the boat at this point, loaded at wide receiver already, not
needing the distraction of adding a controversial wideout
whose time in the limelight appears to be in the past, circa
2016: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BeckOd00.htm ]

How spicy would this be? Dallas doesn't need WR help, with
Dak Prescott comfortably in the MVP conversation thanks
to help from CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper.

OBJ also wouldn't necessarily get an abundance of work in
such a crowded room. But Michael Gallup has been banged
up [Michael is probably returning for the Broncos game], &
Jerry Jones could view this like an Antonio Brown-to-the-Buc-
caneers kind of move: a luxury addition to a Super Bowl-cali-
ber lineup.

As for Odell, what could be better than getting the America's
Team stage before a potential return to free agency, & maybe
getting another shot at the Giants along the way?

~~~

8. Packers

They've dealt with different forms of Aaron Rodgers drama
all year, so we're not sure they'd welcome another potential
headache. But if Rodgers is running the show, why not?

Davante Adams is the clear No. 1, but Beckham would pro-
perly relegate Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb to secondary
roles, giving Green Bay a major one-two punch out wide for
a title run.

~~~

9. Colts

Beckham doesn't necessarily feel like a culture fit here, but
at 3-5, with T.Y. Hilton perpetually banged up, they could
really use another weapon for Carson Wentz as they try to
stay alive in the AFC South.

As long as Wentz is under center, their focus will be to win
now. And OBJ would get his fair share of targets opposite
Michael Pittman.

~~~

10. Eagles

Adding a disgruntled & pricey wideout who's going on 29
doesn't really mesh with a franchise playing the long game,
but the Eagles are flush with cap space, could cut Beckham
at no penalty after 2021 and, most of all, could use a more
proven starter opposite DeVonta Smith.

General manager Howie Roseman likes to make a splash,
coach Nick Sirianni is a WRs guy, and maybe they could
talk themselves into a half-season rental, with the idea of
potentially stashing a playmaker for the next QB?

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