Giants fans have a lot to worry about. Whether the team will trade star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is a subject of much debate. So far, we’ve gotten a few conflicting statements from owner John Mara, who first said on Sunday no one is off the table but Odell isn’t being shopped around, then said on Tuesday that Odell wasn’t going to be traded but he can’t 100 percent guarantee that Odell will be a Giant. Not quite crystal clear.
It doesn’t seem like Beckham is going to get traded off, but Mara does appear to be leaving some room open for debate or an enticing enough offer. For now, fans are left to debate where Beckham might end up if the Giants decide to hand off one of their most talented players just hitting his prime, if the trade happens at all.
The Los Angeles Rams
Right now it seems unlikely that Beckham is going anywhere, but it sure seems like if he is going to be traded, it’ll be to the Los Angeles Rams. Rumor has it the California team is already inquiring with Mara about the possibility of trading for the wide receiver, and furthermore that Mara isn’t speaking with anyone else at all at the moment. That would certainly increase the Rams’ chances in a bidding war.
Beckham would be a solid fit for the Rams, which have the number six offense in the league, because he would make them even more formidable against opponents having trained using the best spin bikes. For a team so close to the top in the rankings, such a strategic move would certainly seem worthwhile.
They’ve also got a massive amount of money to negotiate with, more than $30 million, which means they have more than enough to make an appealing offer to a player so early in his career. All the evidence suggests the Rams have their eyes on the Super Bowl, which means now is the time for them to put together an all-star team. Beckham would fit right in, if they can draw him away from the Giants and move across the country to the opposite coast. He already lives there during his off-season – it may just be a matter of convincing him to stay all year.
The Cleveland Browns
While the Los Angeles Rams can make a tempting offer, no one can top the Cleveland Browns, who have a generous salary cap of more than $70 million, the highest in the league. That means they have the biggest financial pull of any team, and Beckham might get what he thinks he’s worth there.
Fans have made their case for why Beckham should join the team, citing everything from old friends to the Browns’ goal of winning the Super Bowl to the fact that they can’t rely on Josh Gordon to make it through a season without another relapse. And according to Mary Kay Cabot, reporter for Cleveland.com, the Browns owner did meet with Mara for coffee during an Orlando vacation, suggesting that a trade for Beckham may have been a topic of conversation.
The fact that Jarvis Landry is actively trying to recruit Beckham on social media is a plus, but whether it’s enough to lure the wide receiver remains to be seen.
Other unlikely contenders
A number of other team names have been bandied about in discussions about Beckham’s future, but few of them have any real shot of acquiring the football player. Teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have big ambitions but limited funds and a bad draw for Round 1, or the Tennessee Titans, who have better funds but have more recently put a new wide receiver on the team, don’t really have a reason to expect Beckham to join their rosters anytime soon.
Chances are, the Giants aren’t about to trade Odell Beckham Jr. away just as he’s poised to be his most useful. Mara doesn’t sound all that interested in trading him away and it seems like they’re going to come to an agreement on his contract rather than let him go. But if he does get traded away, there are some obvious choices on the table.