Odell Beckham Jr. Trade To Vikings Seems Unlikely, According To Mike Florio
The Cleveland Browns are reportedly in talks to trade Odell Beckham Jr. to the Minnesota Vikings. The report surfaced on Wednesday morning and took off on social media, but it’s not clear just how close the two teams are to making a deal. Marc Malusis of WFAN posted on Twitter that the transaction was in the works, adding that the Browns would get a second-round and fifth-round pick in return if they move “OBJ” to the Vikings. He also claimed the trade isn’t done just yet, but the talks are very real. However, Mike Florio of NBC Sports‘ ProFootballTalk is among those who find the rumors implausible.
Among the reasons Florio doesn’t believe this is a deal that could get done is that the Vikings simply don’t have space under the cap to acquire Beckham, as the wide receiver carries a base salary of $14 million. While Minnesota could find some room for OBJ, the team would have to do some work, thus making him a better potential fit for other teams in the NFL.
Florio also pointed out Beckham made some noise about wanting a brand new contract after he was traded from the New York Giants to the Browns. He thinks that if the wideout was to be moved again just one season later, his talk of a new deal would only grow louder.
The third reason the analyst doesn’t believe the trade is going to happen is that OBJ’s personality doesn’t really fit with the Vikings, who just unloaded Stefon Diggs this offseason. His and Beckham’s personalities are supposedly similar and Florio doesn’t seem to think they’d want to have to deal with that situation again.
It was also pointed out the Vikings are a run-first offense. The Browns passed the ball quite a bit more than Minnesota did in 2019 and Beckham would likely be far happier in an offense that regularly puts the ball in the air.
Florio also pointed out that the 2020 NFL Draft is very deep at wide receiver. Some other analysts have suggested this year’s draft pool has one of the deepest wideout classes in decades, with at least one saying that it might be the best of all time.
With all those talented players available for selection, the Vikings might be better off keeping their picks, rather than taking on the big contract and the big headaches OBJ can bring.
While Florio doesn’t think the trade would make much sense for the Vikings, he understands why the Browns would want to do it. Beckham is said to have never really bought into the team’s approach last year, which could mean Cleveland is looking to hit the reset button without its star wide receiver on board.
