Given how ugly the divorce was between the Cleveland Browns and wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. just a few months ago, the idea of him rejoining the franchise sounds pretty absurd. However, it’s not entirely out of the question, especially now that the situation in Cleveland has changed.
When someone on Twitter posited the idea to the free agent on Twitter, he responded in a way that certainly implied that the door was not entirely closed, saying “Lol that’s an interesting one.”
Lol that’s an interesting one
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) March 22, 2022
Beckham’s big beef while in Cleveland was with quarterback Baker Mayfield. But now that Mayfield is out and Deshaun Watson is in, the wideout is reportedly open to the possibility of returning because he “loved his teammates and Browns fans,” according to Cleveland.com.
According to Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot, the team ownership likes Beckham and befriended him in his short time with the franchise, his teammates reportedly were sad to see him leave and sign with the Los Angeles Rams, and safety John Johnson III even said the team would welcome him back with open arms if he wanted to return.
Johnson even fueled speculation that it might happen during an Instagram Live on Wednesday night, saying “OBJ coming back. You ain’t hear it from me tho.”
John Johnson via IG live: “OBJ coming back. You ain’t hear it from me tho.” pic.twitter.com/WwWQUtAk5Q
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) March 24, 2022
Cabot noted it’s a “longshot” that Beckham would return given the way things ended, which got particularly nasty. OBJ is also recovering from a torn ACL and is in the middle of a rehab process that makes it unclear if he will be ready to play in 2022. This is also his second ACL tear, so there’s going to be concern about his status for any team that signs him.
That said, Cabot notes that the “Browns didn’t burn any bridges with Beckham,” so the door remains open both ways. First things first, however, the team needs to figure out how to trade Mayfield because there’s no way OBJ is returning so long as he’s still with the franchise.
