It seems that veteran receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’s time in Cleveland might be coming to an end. On Wednesday and Thursday, he was reportedly told not to attend practice after his father posted a video on Instagram pointing out the time Beckham was open and was not targeted by quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Beckham was absent from practice again on Thursday, and with the trade deadline passing on Tuesday afternoon, it seems likely that he could be waived by the Browns in the coming days.
For a Jacksonville team that is desperately looking for help at the position after losing D.J. Chark Jr. to a season-ending injury and didn’t make any moves before the deadline, this could be an excellent opportunity to add an experienced playmaker to the roster.
Beckham’s five-year, $90-million contract still runs through the end of the 2023 season, and if the Jaguars were to claim him off waivers, they would be responsible for the remainder of the deal. However, claiming him would only cause the Jags a cap hit of just over $8 million, and considering the team still has nearly $30 million in available space, that would certainly be doable.
Odell Beckham, Jr. would be subject to waivers if the Browns cut him. A team would need $8,055,556 of salary cap room to claim him. Contending teams don't have that much. Jags & Eagles lead NFL with $27.88M & $20.87M of cap space. https://t.co/JLXtpjv0lY
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) November 3, 2021
Were the Jaguars to allow him to clear waivers, they could negotiate with him. But at that point, there’s no guarantee the move would remain as affordable.
There are other concerns, too. Beckham is 28-years-old and coming off an ACL tear. His time in Cleveland hasn’t been as productive as the Browns hoped, and he hasn’t been able to match the numbers he put up during his first three seasons in the league with the New York Giants.
However, Beckham did still reach 1,000 yards in his last two healthy seasons, and while he only has 17 catches for 232 yards in 2021, he would immediately add another reliable wideout to pair with Marvin Jones Jr.
Beckham is a bit past his prime, and he’s not the same player he used to be. But for a Jacksonville team that desperately needs to find weapons to put around quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the relative affordability of this move could prove to be intriguing for the team.
What do you think? Should the Jaguars make a move for Beckham if he’s ultimately waived by the Browns? Let us know in the poll below.
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