Browns Given Short Odds to Acquire Odell Beckham Jr for 2019 Season

• The Cleveland Browns have emerged as the favorites to acquire Odell Beckham Jr, should the Giants trade him
• Antonio Brown trade could set the market for Beckham Jr
• The New York Giants are open to a trade if they get an offer that blows them away

Where there’s smoke, there is fire.

What started as an opinion from NFL Insider Jay Glazer is proven to be more of an accurate prediction of what’s to come.

The rumination that Odell Beckham Jr. being traded away from the New York Giants feels like more of a reality by the day and now the odds suggest there’s a decent chance he gets traded before the start of the 2019 season.

Odds on Who Odell Beckham Jr Plays For in Week 1 2019

Odds taken 3/7.

Giants Are Willing To Listen

While Glazer may have put out an opinion into the atmosphere, a number of credible NFL insiders are now reporting that the Giants are open for business.

That’s a change, as originally they said they did not plan to trade him and there was no suitor identified. It doesn’t help that Beckham Jr. threw up a cryptic tweet, which has people wondering what’s on his mind.

??

— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) March 6, 2019

The latest is Jason LaConfora, who has reported from the NFL Combine that Beckham Jr. can be had for the right price.

If the Giants are willing to listen to teams, that suggests that the door is open. The issue is that the price is probably too high right now. They want a team to blow them away with two first-round picks but that’s probably not going to happen at this point.

Brown Trade Will Prove Key

The other hot rumor around the league is that Antonio Brown is about to be traded. The haul that he brings back to the Pittsburgh Steelers will likely determine what the market might be for Beckham Jr.

From @NFLTotalAccess: Answering some key questions on the #Steelers and where they stand on dealing star WR Antonio Brown… pic.twitter.com/JNR1g8YfqB

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 7, 2019

If Brown brings back a second-round pick, the Giants will probably hold onto their stud receiver. However, if Brown nets a couple of high draft picks, maybe the Giants make move.

Browns Are Favored

The Browns are the team that’s favored to acquire Beckham Jr. but we don’t really have a clear answer as to why that’s the case.

Of course, they have a need at the position and having a big-time weapon for Baker Mayfield would significantly change the trajectory of the team.

At the same time, the Browns franchise is delicate right now as there is genuine optimism for the first time in a long time. Do they really want to risk a blockbuster trade – especially with someone like Beckham Jr. – who isn’t always a model citizen?

I’ve enjoyed going back and watching Baker Mayfield’s rookie season again. He doesn’t get enough credit for the minor details he does.

He’s going to be very good.pic.twitter.com/ukvqsNfZud

— Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) March 6, 2019

The Browns were in a similar position in 2007 when they had a breakout year at 10-6 and then had a huge offseason of trades to try to snowball the momentum. Instead, the team finished 7-8-1 as trades for Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers flopped.

Browns General Manger John Dorsey is in a similar position as the Browns have a young roster, quality assets (10 draft picks) and cap space. If the trade is something like a first, a third, and Duke Johnson Jr., the Browns might make a move.

If it’s anything more than that, it’s hard to see Cleveland pulling the trigger.

Giants Could Go Either Way

On one hand, the Giants look at their roster, see plenty of talent on offense, and tell themselves that they’re just a good offensive line away from being a playoff contender.

Even if the quarterback is the problem, they can spend their top two picks on a quarterback and a lineman, and field a fairly competent unit. This team went 4-4 down the stretch.

“CLEVELAND, OAKLAND and SAN FRANCISCO are the teams I’ve heard most connected to Odell Beckham Jr.”@JasonLaCanfora gives @AdamSchein his perspective on the OBJ rumors making the rounds on social media today. #T2S pic.twitter.com/G2cBGP2SGy

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) March 6, 2019

At the same time, the Giants were 5-11 overall and things can’t really be much worse.

Beckham Jr. isn’t making them better. On top of that, he can sometimes be a headache off the field. He’s also sucking up a ton of cap space. Maybe now is the time to trade him before things get worse.

Gettleman Wants To Keep His Job

The bottom line for Giants General Manager Dave Gettleman is that he wants to keep his job. He won’t trade away Beckham Jr. unless it makes the team better right now.

There aren’t many scenarios where that happens, so I would be on the Giants keeping Beckham Jr. for at least one more season.