N.Y. Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. heading to Cleveland Browns in blockbuster trade; N.Y. Jets sign Le'Veon Bell
The Cleveland Browns have agreed to acquire star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants, CBS Sports has confirmed. The Browns are sending a first- and third-round pick in 2019 along with safety Jabrill Peppers to the Giants for Beckham, one of the NFL's top players, according to people who spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday night.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because league rules prohibit teams from announcing trades until 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Giants' crosstown rival New York Jets and star running back Le'Veon Bell have agreed on a deal, the now former Pittsburgh Steeler confirmed on Twitter, saying, "I'm back in the green baby, let's get it." CBSSports.com had reported the signing earlier. ESPN was first with the news, saying the agreement is for four years and $52.5 million.
The deal for Beckham Jr. is conditional on both players passing physicals.
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Mike Garafolo of NFL Media first reported the news, which was confirmed by CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora.
With the Browns, Beckham will be reunited with receiver Jarvis Landry, a teammate at LSU. He'll also give quarterback Baker Mayfield an elite target, and his arrival vaults the Browns, who went 7-8-1 last season after not winning a game in 2017, into legitimate championship contenders.
La Canfora reported on CBS Sports HQ on Tuesday night, there should be plenty of issues that Odell has to deal with in terms of his contract. Beckham was not, La Canfora reported, a part of the trade talks between the two teams as the negotiations were going along.
As CBS Sports' William Brinson writes, Beckham if he wanted, could potentially raise a stink about the trade and wanting a new contract — a la Antonio Brown to the Bills in a deal that fell through — and create some issues. That being said, he's going to a good spot on a fun young team with a ton of talented skill position players.
The Bell signing gives new Jets head coach Adam Gase and second-year quarterback Sam Darnold a big-time playmaker, arguably the best at his position before Bell opted to sit out all of last season rather than sign a one-year, $14.4 million franchise tender with Pittsburgh.
It was an unprecedented move as Bell -- who received the franchise tag in two straight years - skipped a season in his prime to preserve his long-term health and secure a big payday.
Last month, Pittsburgh decided to not place the transition tag on Bell. That cleared the running back to become an unrestricted free agent when the NFL's new year begins Wednesday.
