News & Info/Headlines

Blockbuster! Odell Beckham Traded To The Browns; Fantasy Implications Abound
As Cleveland Plain Dealer staffer Mary Kay Cabot framed it: "Odell Beckham worked out with Browns QB Baker Mayfield and his longtime friend and former college teammate Jarvis Landry last offseason at USC, and now he’ll get to do it for real."

On a day we were all waiting for some high profile free agents to decide their next destinations, we got a major surprise late in the day: Beckham has been traded to Cleveland.

Here are the trade terms: The Giants recieve a first-round pick in 2019 (No. 17 overall), the Browns' second third-round pick this year and safety Jabril Peppers. The Browns get Beckham.

The Browns pulled off the blockbuster trade with the Giants after the disgruntled receiver apparently wore out his welcome in New York with first-year head coach Pat Shurmur and others last season.

Cabot added: "The trade catapults the Browns into 'elite offense' territory, what with Mayfield, Beckham, Landry, Nick Chubb, Antonio Callaway, David Njoku, Duke Johnson and, at some point, Kareem Hunt.

In Cleveland, the three-time Pro Bowler will be reunited not only with Landry, his former LSU teammates, but receivers coach Adam Henry, who coached him in college and with the Giants. Landry has been lobbying hard for Beckham since training camp last summer.

The trade gives Mayfield a superstar No. 1 receiver, and gives Beckham a quarterback that can get him the ball anywhere on the field.

Browns GM John Dorsey is close to Giants GM Dave Gettleman, and the two have spent a lot of time talking over the past few weeks, including when they sat together in the stands at the NFL Combine two weeks ago.

Gettleman insisted at the combine that he didn’t sign Beckham to trade him, but rumors persisted that he was still on the block. Beckham signed a five-year, $95 million extension in August, including $41 million fully guaranteed.

Last season, Beckham angered the Giants with an interview he did with ESPN’s Josina Anderson in which he criticized Eli Manning, the coaching staff and the inability of the Giants to get the most out of him.

“I don’t feel like I’m being given the opportunity to be the very best that I can, to bring that every single day — and that’s really all I want to do, to bring that every single day,’’ Beckham said. “Since I’ve been here I’ve put up numbers, records have been broken and all those good things, not to say mean nothing to me, but I know they could have been double, or triple whatever they are now. That’s the part that bothers me.”

He also questioned Manning’s ability to get him the ball deep -- something that Mayfield will have no problem doing.

He also ripped the new coaching staff, which obviously didn’t sit well with Shurmur,

In Cleveland, Beckham immediately takes over as the No. 1 receiver and joins a now-elite corps that includes his good buddy Landry, Callaway and Rashard Higgins.

From a fantasy standpoint, the notion of Mayfield, who played at an extremely high level down the stretch last season, throwing to Beckham and the rest, with a strong rushing attack led by breakaway threat Chubb, in a scheme designed by coordinator turned head coach Freddie Kitchens, who will continue as play caller despite his promotion, is a pretty appealing though.

In general, as Profootballtalk.com's Michael David Smith said of the team: "After their promising season in 2018, they’ve now made the most aggressive move of the offseason. This is a strong statement that these are not the same old Browns. These are the new Browns, and they’re contenders."

On the other side of the ball?

For the Giants, who are officially in full rebuild mode, this isn't hard to figure out: Saquon Barkley is the lone fantasy player of interest here. Others -- Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard -- remain viable for what they are; but it's the Barkley show folks. Let's hope the burden of carrying this franchise through the rebuild doesn't grind him to a nub.