Odell Beckham Jr. trade odds: Bucs' Tom Brady reportedly wants Browns Pro Bowl receiver in Tampa
The hot NFL rumor out there on Monday is that Tom Brady wants the Super Bowl champion Bucs to trade for Odell Beckham Jr.
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ESPN's Adam Schefter nearly broke the internet earlier Monday when he reported on the TV show "Get Up" that Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Tom Brady "might want" the Super Bowl champions to figure out a way to acquire three-time Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from Cleveland. While that would be incredibly fun to see, it's almost surely not going to happen as about the last thing the Bucs need is another talented wideout, and they have other holes to fill this offseason. SportsLine offers odds on whether Beckham will be traded anywhere this offseason.
For example, Tuesday is the deadline for NFL teams to slap the franchise tag on a player – there are rumors that deadline could be pushed back -- and it's expected the Bucs will do that with 2019 Pro Bowl wideout Chris Godwin. That would keep Godwin off the free-agent market, but the Bucs also have to make decisions on receiver Antonio Brown, tight end Rob Gronkowski and defensive players Shaquil Barrett, Ndamukong Suh and Lavonte David.
CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora reported that Brady is doing his part to create cap space by reworking his deal. According to Spotrac, the Bucs have about $19 million in salary cap space – although the official 2021 cap number hasn't been set yet.
Brown is expected to return and the trio of Mike Evans, Godwin and Brown is about as good as there is in the NFL. The team also has intriguing young guys like Scotty Miller and Tyler Johnson at receiver. Beckham has a $15.8 million cap hit for 2021 and has three more seasons on his deal with Cleveland.
Would the Browns trade Beckham somewhere in the right deal? Probably as he can be a bit of a headache, and historically QB Baker Mayfield has been better without Beckham on the field. This past season, Beckham was limited to seven games because of a torn ACL. He had 23 catches for 319 yards and three scores. Mayfield has a career regular-season passer rating of 94.9 and completion percentage of 63.3 without Beckham Jr., and a rating of 83.0 and completion percentage of 60.4 with him.
"I think he's a dynamic player who can be incredibly productive in this system, so we're looking forward to getting him back healthy," Browns general manager Andrew Berry recently said of Beckham.
This wouldn't be the first time that Brady has chased Beckham as the Patriots previously tried to get him in a deal from the Giants. That Beckham is coming off such a serious injury makes any trade that much more unlikely.
The Bucs are not scheduled to face the Browns in 2021. Tampa Bay is currently +900 at William Hill Sportsbook to win Super Bowl 56 and Cleveland +2000.
Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Will the Browns trade Odell Beckham Jr. before the start of the 2021 season?
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