Well, that escalated quickly.
Per ESPN, the Odell Beckham Jr. experiment in Cleveland is officially over, as the Cleveland Browns are working with the three-time Pro Bowler’s reps to negotiate the terms of his release.
“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,” Browns GM Andrew Berry in a statement. “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.”
For all of his otherworldly talent, OBJ had the unfortunate privilege of having an idiot in charge who didn’t know how to properly utilize his gifts and made impulse decisions to the detriment of the team. Being injury prone and playing with Baker Mayfield didn’t exactly help his cause either, but when you have an experienced superstar in the fold, you would think you would make it a point to maximize their talents instead of doing whatever the hell the Browns think they’re doing.
We call that fucking up a good thing—and exactly why you don’t put incompetent people in charge of making competent decisions.
To facilitate the move, the Browns will convert Beckham’s base salary into a signing bonus in order to save money by reducing his cap hit. Once everything is finalized, OBJ will be released but he can’t be claimed on waivers until next week.
As we previously reported at The Root, the acrimony between Beckham and the Browns hit critical mass when a number of notable figures openly petitioned for the team to trade its star receiver prior to Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. LeBron James spearheaded his own #FreeOBJ campaign on Twitter, but shit got really real when Odell Beckham Sr., the LSU product’s own father, posted an 11-minute video on Instagram that highlighted all the times his son was wide open and Mayfield didn’t throw him the ball.
But I guess that won’t be OBJ’s problem anymore, since he’ll be taking his talents elsewhere. The New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Oakland Las Vegas Raiders already expressed interest prior to the NFL trade deadline, and it’s safe to assume plenty of teams will be vying for his services this time next week.
Congratulations on securing your freedom, good sir. Go forth and prosper. Make those motherfuckers rue the day they took your contributions and what you brought to the table for granted.