BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – At his youth football camp on the east side of Cleveland in late July, Odell Beckham Jr. spoke about his focus being on winning a championship and not his personal numbers in 2021.
Less than four months later, he’s no longer a Cleveland Brown.
Browns executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry released a statement Friday morning announcing the team's decision to move on.
“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,” Berry said. “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.”
The impending release of Beckham caps a tumultuous week that began with his father posting a video titled on Instagram titled “Odell Beckham is Always Open for the Cleveland Browns in 2021.” He then went on to rip quarterback Baker Mayfield while responding to comments on the post.
It created a social media mess for the Browns, which included Lebron James chiming in and using the hashtag “#FreeOBJ.”
“To be honest, this really is not about the video,” Berry said Friday afternoon. “It is really about a series of discussions, certainly over the last week but even spanning back longer than that. At times, I do think that whether you want to call it, a level of frustration that exists that just really just makes it difficult to have a productive reconciliation.”
Mayfield said Wednesday he had not spoken with Beckham and that he was “surprised” by the post.
The fact is that the Browns offense, and Mayfield himself, performed better without Beckham on the field.
Last year after Beckham suffered a torn ACL in the first quarter at Cincinnati, Mayfield went on to complete a franchise record 21-consecutive passes and rally for a win in the closing minute.
Over the remainder of the season Mayfield’s completion percentage rose from just over 61% to 64%. He went from a 15-7 touchdown to interception ratio to 11-1. The Browns went 7-2 and ended the NFL’s longest playoff drought.
“This really is not like a Baker question,” Berry said. “All I can say is I think Odell is a talented player. I think the offense functioned well with him. I think we have seen it function well when he has not necessarily been available.”
For whatever reason, Beckham just wasn’t a fit for head coach Kevin Stefanski, who took some responsibility for failing to utilize Beckham effectively.
“It is my job to get the most out of our players. I am always disappointed when I can’t do that,” Stefanski said.
Teammates rallied in support of Beckham during the week saying they would welcome him back into the locker room, including safety John Johnson III.
“I think John and all of our guys are great teammates, and they do not want to see any of their guys leave the team in any fashion,” Stefanski said. “We talk about injuries are part of this game and then the next man has to step up. I would say that is our teammates always standing up for each other.”
Johnson along with rookie receiver Anthony Schwartz and cornerback Greg Newsome II jumped on Twitter late Thursday night to dispute an anonymous quote from a Browns player reported by NFL Media that Beckham was “a malcontent.”
On Wednesday, Berry began negotiating Beckham’s exit from the Browns with the receiver’s agents while also excusing him from practice.
That process was expected to be completed Friday.
“I think this situation was handled the right way on both sides – on their side and on our side,” Stefanski said. “We have to move on. It does not mean I am not disappointed. For all of our guys, you want to make sure you get the most out of them. This is how we are going to handle it, and again, I do wish him well.”
Beckham will likely be waived on Monday meaning that he will become a free agent should he clear waivers Tuesday after 4 p.m. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the restructure would leave a claiming team with $7.25 million of salary responsibility, decreasing the likelihood of a claim. The Browns also nullified the final two years on the contract further ensuring Beckham's free agent status.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com told Ken Carman and Anthony Lima Friday morning on 92.3 The Fan that Beckham requested a trade multiple times this year, including before the season as he continued to recover from ACL surgery.
The Browns acquired Beckham in March of 2019 in a blockbuster trade with the New York Giants but chemistry issues between Mayfield and Beckham hovered from Day 1.
In his first season with the Browns Beckham reached 1,000 yards while playing through a core muscle injury and the Browns went 6-10 during a disastrous season under Freddie Kitchens, who was fired after one year as head coach. Beckham underwent surgery in the offseason.
Last season Beckham tore his ACL in Week 7 and he spent a second straight offseason rehabbing from surgery.
Beckham was inactive Week 1, which caused some friction because the coaching staff game planned for his return against the Chiefs. He was quickly ruled out for the next game, a 31-21 win over the Texans, and returned in Week 3.
Beckham suffered a sprained shoulder against the Cardinals October 17.
In 29 games with the Browns, Beckham caught 114 passes of 210 targets for 1,586 yards and seven touchdowns.
“I can tell you that really everyone had put a ton of time and energy into it, and everybody is disappointed that this is the outcome, but it is where we are,” Berry said. “Just sometimes they do not work out, and we have to move forward.”