If Odell Beckham Jr. wished for the Cleveland Browns to cut ties with him on his 29th birthday, they're making his wish come true. The drama has ended.
The team announced on Friday morning that they're planning to release the polarizing wide receiver, just two days after excusing him from practice and three days after Beckham's father shared a video on Instagram that criticized quarterback Baker Mayfield.
"What this ultimately boils down to is, one of my favorite quotes of all-time: 'What we've got here is a failure to communicate,'" Browns analyst Daryl Ruiter told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Friday. "From Beckham's side, maybe Mayfield's side, maybe from the Browns' side, Kevin Stefanski. When this all started, I said, 'Look, these guys need to get into a room and lock the door.' Hash it out, air the dirty laundry, say what needs to be said and move forward.
"But as Odell continued his silence, it was like, 'Get him out of here, then.' He clearly doesn't want to be here, he clearly doesn't want to be a team player, certainly doesn't want to dispute what his dad put up. And then Wednesday especially, when both Stefanski and Baker said, 'Yeah, haven't talked to Odell,' those are all pretty telling signs that this thing went south in a hurry."
If Beckham is claimed, the team that's highest in the waiver order will take on his current contract, which has a base salary of $13.8 million across the next two seasons. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Cleveland's restructured deal would also convert his current base salary into bonuses, making teams more compelled to claim him.
Beckham, who's battled a shoulder injury this season, was a non-factor in the Browns' 15-10 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday, as he caught one pass for six yards on one target. In six games, the three-time Pro Bowler has racked up just 17 receptions for 232 yards and no touchdowns, and ranks 139th in the league in receptions per route and 151st in receptions per target.
Beckham's tenure with the Browns lasted 29 games. He amassed 114 catches for 1,586 yards and seven touchdowns, along with eight rushes for 96 yards and one score. Since entering the NFL as a first-round pick in 2014, Beckham ranks 17th in receptions (504), 10th in receiving yards (7,210), and seventh in receiving touchdowns (51).
Cleveland (4-4), which sits in fourth place in the AFC North, will visit the rival Cincinnati Bengals (5-3) on Sunday. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Browns currently have a 32-percent chance to reach the playoffs and just a 10-percent chance to win the division.
The entire Beckham-Browns conversation between Ruiter and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.