(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
In one of the marquee trades in the NFL in maybe the last decade, generational talent Odell Beckham Jr. found himself being shipped from New York City to Cleveland after the Giants decided to trade him to the Browns.
But why did the Giants decide to part ways with one of the most athletic and talented players in the league? Because they didn’t feel like dealing with his bullshit, apparently.
According to SNY — one of the leading sports networks in New York City — a source familar with the Giants’ situation said that Beckham “had become too much of a pain in the ass” and that the Giants brass harbored a “real fear that eventually it would get worse.”
It was “absolutely not a football decision,” a team source told SNY.
And to be honest, this development shouldn’t surprise anyone, as Beckham’s immaturity and lack of “getting it” are character traits that were highlighted for this very website back in 2016 after he wore Joker-themed gloves during a pregame warm-up.
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“The more important issue here is that these gloves show Beckham’s lack of maturity — his lack of a clue,” we wrote. “If your star receiver needs some gimmicky gloves to get himself in the zone, he may never figure out how to do it on his own. And that’s not a good sign for his future in New York.”
And that’s exactly the decision the Giants made: they decided that his admittedly incredible on-field production wasn’t worth his off-field nonsense, especially on a team as far away from competitiveness as the Giants.
Will Beckham light it up for the Browns with Baker Mayfield now tossing him bombs instead of Eli Manning chucking up ducks? Absolutely. But will it bring the Cleveland Browns any closer to a championship? That remains to be seen.
While Beckham does not have a track record for being a locker room leader, this latest career move to a young team on the verge of something special could potentially spur him forward to become an even greater version or himself.
