The rumors surrounding New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will come to an end. In what could be the biggest storyline of the 2019 offseason, the 26-year-old is headed to the Cleveland Browns, not the San Francisco 49ers, via a trade, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
BREAKING: The #Browns have traded for #Giants WR Odell Beckham, sources say. The deal is done. I am not joking.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 12, 2019
The Giants will receive the Browns' No. 17 overall pick in this year's draft, the team's second third-round pick (No. 95 overall), and safety Jabrill Peppers in exchange for one of the NFL's best receivers, Garafolo revealed on-air.
The 49ers had long been linked to Beckham. The team was believed to love the receiver but reportedly never really got into deep discussions for the receiver. San Francisco owns the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft as well as No. 36, and No. 67, so the team had the resources to get a deal with the Giants done.
While rumors surrounding a Beckham trade have circulated since the end of this past season, most within the New York media never truly believed Giants general manager Dave Gettleman would go through with it.
"We didn't sign Odell to trade him," Gettleman said in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I know that's all over the place, so understand that. That's all I need to say about that."
Beckham signed a five-year extension worth up to $95 million with the Giants on August 27, 2018. He registered 77 receptions for 1,052 yards with six touchdowns through 12 starts with the Giants in 2018. Beckham was inactive for New York's final four games of the season due to a quad injury.
The Giants made Beckham, who played college football at LSU, the No. 12 overall selection in 2014. He has caught 390 passes for 5,476 yards with 44 touchdowns through his five NFL seasons.
Beckham is a three-time Pro Bowl selection. He finished four of his five NFL seasons with 1,000-or-more receiving yards. The one exception was in 2017 when Beckham's missed most of the season with a fractured left ankle.
| Career Statistics | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | G | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD |
| 2018 | Giants | 12 | 12 | 77 | 1,052 | 13.7 | 51 | 6 |
| 2017 | Giants | 4 | 2 | 25 | 302 | 12.1 | 48T | 3 |
| 2016 | Giants | 16 | 16 | 101 | 1,367 | 13.5 | 75T | 10 |
| 2015 | Giants | 15 | 15 | 96 | 1,450 | 15.1 | 87T | 13 |
| 2014 | Giants | 12 | 11 | 91 | 1,305 | 14.3 | 80T | 12 |
| Total | 390 | 5,476 | 14.0 | 87 | 44 | |||
