6 best fits for Odell Beckham Jr.
The Cleveland Browns and three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. agreed to part ways Friday, ending his tumultuous stint with the team after just three years.
Beckham is now set to hit waivers and can be claimed by any team, with the Detroit Lions having first dibs at the wideout. Any team that claims Beckham would reportedly have to pay his $7.25-million salary for the remainder of the season. If he goes unclaimed, Beckham would become a free agent, giving him the opportunity to decide with which team he plays next.
Here are the best fits for Beckham:
New Orleans Saints
Beckham to the Saints almost makes too much sense. Firstly, it'd mark a homecoming for the wideout, who grew up in Louisiana and played college football at LSU. Plus, New Orleans entered the season thin at wide receiver, and top pass-catcher Michael Thomas suffered a setback with his ankle injury and is out for the year. That reportedly led coach Sean Payton and Co. to pursue receivers at the trade deadline - including Beckham - but the Saints ended up empty-handed.
New Orleans doesn't have enough cap space to afford Beckham right now, but general manager Mickey Loomis could find a way to restructure other contracts on his roster, as he often does.
Las Vegas Raiders
If Beckham wants to find a home where he'll be guaranteed a big role on a contending team with a top quarterback, Mark Davis' franchise would likely be a perfect landing spot.
Las Vegas needs a wideout after it released leading receiver Henry Ruggs III. Beckham could be counted on to receive a high volume of targets from Derek Carr, who is in the midst of a career year. The Raiders reportedly enquired about Beckham's status this week, so it wouldn't be surprising for him to become a Raider after all is said and done.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers have Davante Adams, but they have really struggled to get much production out of the receivers behind him, with no other Green Bay wideout exceeding 200 receiving yards this season. A motivated Beckham looking for another opportunity to prove his worth would be a great bet to remedy that problem.
Plus, if Beckham is looking for an improvement over Baker Mayfield, he can't do much better than Aaron Rodgers. The Packers quarterback has been pushing to improve the team's receiving group dating back to last year's trade deadline and taking a flier on the three-time Pro Bowler wouldn't be the worst solution.
A potential partnership would require a bit more than a "Lambeau Leap", but the move makes sense for a Packers team looking to keep Rodgers content while maximizing their championship pursuit.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs' offense isn't firing on all cylinders this season, and while Patrick Mahomes' league-high 10 interceptions are a major reason for that, it sure isn't the only one. Kansas City lacks depth at skill positions and there's a huge gap between their top two pass-catchers - Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce - and the rest of the receiving corps. Beckham would reduce that gap right away, being a clear upgrade over the likes of Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle, and Demarcus Robinson.
Additionally, the Chiefs haven't been afraid of going after free agents looking for a fresh start, signing running back Le'Veon Bell in 2020 and receiver Josh Gordon in September. Pursuing Beckham, who still has something left in the tank, would be a smart move for a relatively low price.
New England Patriots
Bill Belichick adding a wide receiver with baggage like Beckham? No way that happens, right? Not so fast. While the legendary coach has a no-nonsense philosophy, he also has a history of buying lottery tickets on troubled wide receivers like Randy Moss, Antonio Brown, Chad Johnson, and Josh Gordon.
Of course, those additions came while New England was in the midst of its two-decade-long domination with Tom Brady and could offer glory in return for the wideouts' commitment. Brady may no longer be present, but the transitioning Patriots are still very much alive in the AFC playoff picture at 4-4 and Beckham would be a big-name target for the impressive Mac Jones.
The only concern is whether or not the Patriots want to expose their highly-rated rookie passer to a receiver that has a tendency to cause disruption when things don’t go his way.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are ninth on the current waiver order - the highest-ranked club among the teams on this list - and adding Beckam would check a ton of boxes for them. They'd obviously get a third solid pass-catcher alongside DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, which sounds like a smart move for a 3-5 team that isn't deep at wide receiver.
Seattle is on its bye week, so Beckham could have extra time to get familiar with the club before making his debut in Week 10 when the Seahawks are also hopeful that quarterback Russell Wilson will return from injury.
The Seahawks aren't afraid of going after controversial wideouts either; they gave Josh Gordon a chance in 2019 and have shown interest in Antonio Brown several times. Wilson was frustrated with some of Seattle's personnel decisions in the offseason, and though he did explicitly mention the number of times he's been hit as a reason for his disappointment, adding another explosive offensive weapon should make him happier.