Odds on Where Odell Beckham Jr Signs After Being Released by the Browns

• Odell Beckham Jr has been released by the Browns following a tumultuous two-plus seasons in Cleveland
• The controversial receiver will be eligible to be claimed off waivers as of Monday, Nov. 8th at 4 pm ET
• See below for odds and analysis on which teams will be the most likely to pursue OBJ

When it comes to Odell Beckham Jr, is the juice really worth the squeeze? The New York Giants didn’t think so, and now the Cleveland Browns have decided to part ways with him as well.

OBJ lasted just two-plus seasons with the Browns, despite Cleveland paying an arm and a leg to acquire him. The Browns gave up a first and third round pick in 2019, in addition to safety Jabrill Peppers, but on Friday released the former top-five receiver following his latest antics.

Now the question becomes which receiver needy team will talk themselves into Beckham? There’s plenty of contenders that could use another big play threat, and we’ve identified the most likely landing spots for OBJ once he’s eligible to be claimed off waivers.

Odell Beckham Jr’s Next Team Odds

Odds as of November 5th.

Beckham can officially be claimed off waivers as of Monday, November 8th at 4 pm ET. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll become a free agent on Tuesday, and can sign with any team for the veteran minimum. He’ll likely just be a rental for the stretch drive, so you have to think only teams with serious playoff aspirations would make a claim.

Whether he is released today or tomorrow, Odell Beckham Jr. cannot be claimed on waivers until 4 pm Monday, at the earliest.

Here is a look at the NFL’s current waiver priority: pic.twitter.com/RS2dD5Pfvw

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 5, 2021

We’ll break down the top contenders to acquire his services either through waivers or free agency, but first let’s look back at how we got to this point.

What Went Wrong In Cleveland

The straw that broke the camel’s back in Cleveland came earlier this week when Beckham’s father posted an 11-minute video detailing all the times Baker Mayfield failed to get his son the ball. OBJ’s dad went on to criticize Mayfield heavily in the comments, while the receiver never spoke to Mayfield about the video or addressed publicly what his father had done.

#Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. on his IG story before quickly deleting: “Maybe this sh*t with Baker & Cleveland won’t work out after all” pic.twitter.com/GUhASKQ7In

— 𝘿𝙖𝙠𝙈𝙑𝙋 ✮ (@GoatedDak) November 1, 2021

Prior to the release of the video, and following Cleveland’s latest loss to Pittsburgh, Beckham posted a cryptic message to instagram before quickly deleting it. Perhaps it was a last ditch effort to get traded before the deadline, or perhaps he knew at that point his time with the Browns was over.

Beckham was excused from practice on Wednesday and then again on Thursday, before Cleveland made the decision to release him.

How Much Does OBJ Have Left In the Tank?

Even if you agree with Beckham that Mayfield is to blame for his poor numbers in Cleveland, it’s impossible to ignore the steep decline in OBJ’s production dating back to his days in New York.

The 29-year-old racked up 35 touchdowns in his first three seasons, but since then has found the end zone just 17 times over the past five years. He’s played a full season twice in his eight-year career thanks to various injuries, and missed 12 games in two-plus seasons with the Browns. He gained more than 85 receiving yards twice in his Cleveland tenure, and hasn’t produced a 100-yard game since October 13, 2019.

On WR Odell Beckham, Jr. —

Based on the tape…

Still an easy mover within the route tree. Smooth. There’s nuance here. Creates separation at the LOS/top of the route.

Explosive play traits have diminished. Can see that. One-speed run after the catch target.

— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) November 5, 2021

It’s true Mayfield’s efficiency when targeting Beckham is low, but he doesn’t have the same problem with his other pass catchers. Mayfield’s QBR when throwing to OBJ is a dismal 58.0, but that rises to 85.2 when he’s targeting any other Cleveland receiver. A big reason for that is reportedly Beckham’s propensity to improvise, often changing routes on the fly and expecting his QB to adapt.

Who Will Take the Plunge

Only nine teams at the moment currently have enough cap room to claim OBJ, and none are what you would consider a true contender.

While teams always have ways to create salary-cap space, as of this morning, nine NFL teams had over $7.25M in cap space, the amount now needed to claim Odell Beckham, Jr. next week: Jaguars, Eagles, Broncos, Seahawks, Panthers, Chargers, Steelers, Washington, Bengals.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 5, 2021

In all likelihood, Beckham will go unclaimed and then sign with his next team on Tuesday as a free agent. The Raiders are the leading candidate in our minds, given their 5-2 record, and the fact that they just cut Henry Ruggs loose after his arrest.

Other contenders include New Orleans, Baltimore, New England and Green Bay, as if the Packers need any more distractions these days, but my favorite is the LA Rams.

Los Angeles is clearly all-in on 2021 after trading for Von Miller, and this is a team that has proven time and time again that they’d rather build through free agency and the trade market than through the draft.

Von Miller recruiting Odell Beckham Jr. to the Rams. Of course, Beckham must go through waivers. pic.twitter.com/OtWuqdH6Xv

— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) November 5, 2021

Miller has already started recruiting OBJ to LA, and even though the Rams number one offense per DVOA doesn’t need Beckham, they did just release receiver DeSean Jackson this week, creating a receiving void that needs to be filled.

Pick: Los Angeles Rams (+700)