The Browns and receiver Odell Beckham Jr. worked out a revised contract aimed at making it less attractive to claim him on waivers. But at $7.25 million in total compensation (as reported on Saturday, a significant chunk was moved to a roster bonus due next week, with the final two years of the deal wiped out) for the rest of the year, there’s still a chance that someone will roll the dice on the guy who once was the best receiver in the NFL.
More could have been done to make it less attractive for someone to claim him, frankly. Perhaps for that reason, someone close to Beckham is getting the word out that he doesn’t want to be claimed on waivers by a non-contender who may be tempted to bring him to town.
As reported on Sunday morning by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Beckham wants to join a playoff contender and a team with a “winning environment.” And Beckham had this warning for teams that don’t fall into that category but who may want Beckham: “If a team that does not fit this criteria claims Beckham and the $7.25 million remaining on his contract, there could be potential issues for that team, according to a source, although it is unclear exactly what those issues would be.”
There could be potential issues for that team.
What does that even mean? He won’t show up? Or he’ll show up and be a “malcontent,” as one Browns teammate reportedly described him this week?
While the smart move for any team would be to not bring to town a guy who doesn’t want to be there, dysfunctional teams tend to do dysfunctional things. And all it takes is one team that chooses to ignore these signals -- or that simply refuses to let a player dictate the terms of his employment.
“Potential issues” be damned.