Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Odell Beckham Jr. is not joining Cam Newton on the New England Patriots.
A Cam Newton to Odell Beckham Jr. connection would have been sweet, but it’s not happening.
While Newton has signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots after nine years with the Carolina Panthers, Beckham is under contract with the Cleveland Browns, heading into his second season there. Though Beckham may be too big of a star to play in a mid-sized market like Cleveland, he wants to keep playing for the Browns, probably because they’ll be a good team.
On Sunday, Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood tweeted at Beckham, “[Odell Beckham Jr.] to the Patriots before the season is done. BANK IT!”
This came from the Dodgers starting pitcher’s account shortly after Newton had agreed to a one-year deal to play for the Patriots. Wood grew up in Charlotte, so one would think he grew up being a fan of the Panthers and therefore Newton.
Beckham had no time for this. Hours after Wood’s tweet, he quote tweeted him with, “U can find me in The LAND homie! We got unfinished business.”
So what is this “unfinished business”? Before trying to win a Super Bowl, how about winning your division? The Browns have never done this in Beckham or Wood’s lifetimes. Though Wood hasn’t won a World Series in Los Angeles, he’s at least been there. After a challenging year with the 2019 Cincinnati Reds, Wood is back in Dodger blue ready to win Los Angeles a championship.
Odell Beckham Jr. has some unfinished business in Cleveland to attend to.
Besides the financial ramifications and the stigma that would come if he were to go to another team this soon, Beckham has plenty of reasons to stay in Cleveland this year. First, he plays in the same receiving corps with his best friend Jarvis Landry. These guys have been the best of buds since their days playing for Les Miles at LSU. You can’t overlook how cool of a situation this is.
Second, the Browns have a loaded roster, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Beckham and Landry have three other Pro Bowl-level players in the starting lineup with running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, as well as the major free-agent acquisition of Austin Hooper at tight end. Upgrades at both tackle spots and an improved Baker Mayfield, the Browns could be cooking.
Lastly, Cleveland grew up over the offseason by adding adults in the room in the form of head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry. These are men who went to Ivy League schools and come from well-run NFL franchises in the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles, respectively. Cleveland is not going to be a hopeless grease fire any more going forward.
At this time, the Browns should be one of the seven teams getting into the postseason out of the AFC this year. Though winning the division may be difficult because the Baltimore Ravens are a Super Bowl favorite, the Browns should be able to end the NFL’s longest active playoff drought dating back to 2002 this January. Beckham would so want to be a part of that accomplishment.
While Beckham and Newton on the same team would be fun, it’s not in the cards this year.