Considering the perceived trajectories of the Giants and Browns, there is no reason to dismiss Odell Beckham Jr. when the 26-year-old wide receiver suggests that, football-wise, he is in a better situation in Cleveland for 2019 than he would have been in New York.
But while Beckham talks up his new team this summer, the NFL's annual, league-wide period of unapologetic optimism, the awkward reality is that the superstar wideout did not choose to play for the Browns. He was traded.
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In a recent, wide-ranging interview with Complex UK, Beckham was asked about his "biggest career move to date." His answer was just as conveniently void of the word "trade."
"I just felt with the Giants I was just stuck at a place that wasn’t working for me anymore," Beckham said. "I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to reach my full potential there; mentally, physically, spiritually, everything I felt capable of doing, I just couldn’t see it happening there. So I think allowing me to be in an environment where I can be myself and give it a different approach, I feel like my football will benefit.
"I’m just excited about being able to play football again and not have to deal with all the other stuff and politics that came with my previous role."
Understandable? Certainly. Disingenuous? A little.
This isn't the first time — and it certainly won't be the last — that Beckham has expressed his excitement about playing in Cleveland. He said he felt "like a little kid" during minicamp. He also recently told GQ about his unhappiness in New York.
But Beckham did not ask to be traded by the Giants. And despite trade rumors that surfaced prior to the deal, New York general manager Dave Gettleman had said he wouldn't move the wide receiver.
"(Gettleman) said he wasn't going to trade (Beckham), then he traded him," Landon Collins — who also was traded away from New York this year — recently said of the Giants GM. "We (were) all surprised because that's one of the best receivers in the game and for him to do that and lie to everybody, it's not a good look for players and teammates."
To be fair, even though the Giants gave Beckham a massive contract extension late last summer, the 2019 season was rocky enough to have ruined any good feelings. The receiver was fined for his comments about quarterback Eli Manning's play. He headbutted an AC unit on the Giants' sideline during a blowout loss to the Eagles. He faced criticism from team owner John Mara. He was blamed for a failed onside kick recovery. He missed the last four games of the season with a quad injury.
Yet even with that as the background, after the deal that sent Beckham to Cleveland, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield had to respond to speculation that the wide receiver was unhappy with the trade. Sporting News contributor and former NFL team exec Jeff Diamond pointed to Beckham's absence from the Browns' voluntary OTAs as a sign he might not be as excited as he claims.
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Of course, we all know how this works in the NFL: If the Browns win in 2019, any potential Beckham-related issues will be buried by the elation of success. And to Beckham's point, Cleveland has a chance to compete for a playoff berth. New York, it seems, does not.
But don't let Beckham's words mince the truth about his relocation to Cleveland. He was traded to the Browns; he did not sign with them in free agency.
Because if things go poorly in Cleveland this season, chances are we'll all be reminded.