Prior to Cleveland's Week 14 win over Cincinnati, reports surfaced about Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s desire to join a new team after the 2019 season. Beckham, who has reportedly been dealing with a sports hernia injury since training camp, caught just two of five targets for 39 yards in the Browns' 27-19 win.
On Monday, ESPN's Chris Mortensen, after speaking to a Browns official, said on "SportsCenter" that there is "no way" the Browns trade Beckham during the 2020 offseason after giving up 2017 first-round safety Jabrill Peppers and first and third-round picks in the 2019 draft to acquire him last offseason. Beckham, who spent his first five seasons with the Giants, has caught just two touchdown passes this season and has gone seven games without hitting the 100-yard receiving barrier, the longest such drought of his career.
"[The Browns' official] laughed at me, basically," Mortensen said about Beckham possibly being traded this offseason. "He's not going anywhere."
It's clear that the Browns are hoping that Beckham can develop a stronger rapport a quarterback Baker Mayfield during their second year together. It's also clear that the Browns believe that any issues that may currently exist with Beckham can be rectified.
"Right now, the idea is that they have no plans to trade him," Mortensen said. "And even if they did, they would get nowhere near the value for him."
Despite their recent run of success (Cleveland is 4-1 in their last five games), it's been an overall disappointing season for the Browns, whose 2-6 start to the season will likely prevent them from breaking their 17-year playoff drought. Cleveland can still, however, finish with a winning record, something that the franchise hasn't done since 2007. The Browns' final three games include this Sunday's trip to Arizona followed by a home game against the 11-2 Ravens in Week 16. Cleveland will finish the regular season with a trip to Cincinnati to take on the 1-12 Bengals.
While the Browns reportedly have no interest in trading Beckham, it is unknown whether or not the Browns' brass will retain first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens, who has received criticism this year for the Browns' underperforming offense. On Sunday, former NFL head coach and current CBS NFL analyst Bill Cowher said on the "Verizon Halftime Report" that believes that Kitchens is "coaching for his job" during the final three games of the season.
"How they finish this season, to me, will be very indicative in the direction they go in the offseason," Cowher said of the Browns' coaching situation. "They need to finish strong. They have too much talent on the offensive side of the ball."
