1. Cleveland Browns trade for Odell Beckham Jr.
One of the most talked about potential trades over the past two offseasons was the possibility of Odell Beckham Jr. being sent from the New York Giants to the Cleveland Browns.
This possible union picked up steam during the 2018 offseason, as Beckham’s representatives and the Giants were discussing a new contract, but the wideout was spending his time working out with his friend Jarvis Landry of the Browns.
In addition to spending time with his former LSU Tigers teammate, Beckham was catching passes from Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield as well. The trade didn’t happen that year though, as the Giants ended up giving him a contract extension.
The talks heated back up this offseason, but New York general manager Dave Gettelman tried to shut those rumors down infamously saying Beckham wasn’t signed just to be traded. That proved to be a false statement, as the rumors proved to be true. The explosive wideout was sent to Cleveland in exchange for a first and third-round pick, as well as safety Jabrill Peppers.
It was a lot to surrender, but Beckham is a game-changer on offense and will help Mayfield take a huge step forward in his second season as the starter. Of course, there will be those who criticize the move because of the negative attention Beckham gets at times.
For example, he hasn’t been a full-time participant in OTAs, which has plenty of people talking about what that means for the team.
In reality, it means nothing because we’re talking about practice in May, but that won’t stop the noise. Even so, the move for Beckham is well worth anything extracurricular that comes along with him and the price they paid was well worth it (especially when you see it amounted to Jabrill Peppers, Oshane Ximines and Dexter Lawrence).
Cleveland took it to the Giants here, making this the best move of the 2019 NFL offseason.