Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
Even if he doesn’t want a season, Odell Beckham Jr. will not opt-out.
Odell Beckham Jr. may not have wanted to play this year, but he will play this year in the NFL.
Despite what he said to the Wall Street Journal Magazine about wanting the 2020 NFL season to be canceled, Beckham has no intention of opting out.
Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, “Odell Beckham Jr. has no plans of opting out for 2020 despite his comments to the [Wall Street Journal]. The interview was 2 weeks and he sees how safe the Browns facility is now.”
In the age of the coronavirus, we’ve all seen first-hand how quickly things can change. Two weeks feels like lifetimes ago, so perhaps Beckham has changed his stance on the whole thing and how the NFL will go about protecting its players? Beckham will begin his second season playing wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns. Will he be key in helping them get back into the AFC playoffs?
Odell Beckham Jr. not opting out keeps the Cleveland Browns playoff viable.
Cleveland holds the longest active playoff drought in the NFL. The Browns have not qualified for the postseason since Butch Davis was their head coach back in 2002. Cleveland has had maybe a good season or two since 2002, but this might be the first time the Browns have a legitimate shot at qualifying since before the original Browns became the Baltimore Ravens back in 1996.
With an additional Wild Card team now forever in the mix in both conferences, Cleveland has the roster to be one of the seven best teams in the AFC. The Browns may not be quite good enough to challenge the Ravens for the division crown, but who is to say they can’t finish in second place, edging out of the Pittsburgh Steelers for an AFC playoff berth? This can be a good team this year.
As it is with most Browns season, there is a new regime in town. Long gone are John Dorsey and Freddie Kitchens. Now running the show are a pair of Ivy Leaguers in first-time head coach Kevin Stefanski and first-time general manager, Andrew Berry. Together, they will use their brainpower and organizational structure skills to make the Browns into something that’s not a laughingstock.
As long as Beckham is healthy, the Browns could have the best receiving corps in football in 2020.