AP Photo/David Richard
Odell Beckham Jr. wants to compete for a playoff spot down the stretch of the 2021 season.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the wide receiver, who can be claimed on waivers by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, “does not want to go to just any team” but instead “wants to spend the rest of this season with a playoff contender and in a winning environment, where he believes he would be happy and productive.”
What’s more, a number of players have reportedly contacted Beckham, hoping to convince him to join their teams if he goes unclaimed on waivers and is free to sign somewhere.
Schefter reported multiple team executives around the league believe Beckham will clear waivers.
The Cleveland Browns reached a settlement for his restructured contract to end his time with the team and clear the way for him to join another contender. It happened after plenty of headlines, which included the wide receiver’s father posting a video on Instagram showing times when quarterback Baker Mayfield did not connect with Beckham on open routes.
“I’ve had conversations with his dad before, man-to-man, face-to-face, and I was pretty surprised by the video and the intentions and the feelings behind it,” Mayfield told reporters. “I would be lying if I said otherwise.”
Cleveland also dismissed Beckham from practice multiple times before restructuring the contract.
The LSU product had 17 catches for 232 yards and zero touchdowns in six games with Cleveland this year after posting 23 catches for 319 yards and three touchdowns in seven games a season ago.
While injuries have limited him during his time in Cleveland, he also hasn’t looked like the dominant, game-changing wide receiver he was for the New York Giants.
Beckham was a three-time Pro Bowler and the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year during his time in New York from 2014 through 2018. He also had four seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards and was widely considered among the best wideouts in the league.
He would be a major asset for any contender that signed him if he rediscovered that form.
