The NFL trade deadline came and went with hardly a whimper on Tuesday, but that didn’t mean potential blockbusters were brewing.
According to ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin, the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns had discussions regarding wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. but an agreement could not be reached.
Beckham, a Louisiana native, is still owed $8.05 million for the remainder of the 2021 season, which factored into why a deal was not completed.
Per Martin, there is also still optimism within the Browns organization that Beckham can be an integral part of the team in the second half of the season as they make a playoff push.
Beckham has been a non-factor for the 4-4 Browns this season and pretty much since he arrived via trade from the New York Giants in 2019.
The 29-year-old, who tore his ACL a year ago, has just 17 catches for 232 yards in six games this season and is coming off a game Sunday in which he had one catch for six yards.
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Earlier on Tuesday, Beckham’s father posted a video that highlighted every time Mayfield could have thrown the ball Beckham’s way in recent weeks, seemingly putting the blame on the quarterback for his son’s lackluster stat sheet this season.
The video even got the attention of LeBron James, who tweeted “#FreeOBJ.”
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As for the Saints, they remain in serious need of offensive help in the receiving corps, but it is possible they could get that should a healthy Michael Thomas return.
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The team is also dealing with the fallout of losing Jameis Winston for the season. Trevor Siemian led the Saints to victory over the Bucs in place of Winston on Sunday, but the team could turn to Taysom Hill at quarterback if he can return from the concussion protocol this week.
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