Former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has cleared waivers Tuesday and is eligible to sign with any team as a free agent.
Beckham wants to spend the rest of this season with a playoff contender and in a winning environment, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter earlier in the week.
Multiple teams with winning records and established offenses are expected to be interested in Beckham, sources told ESPN. Certain players already have reached out to Beckham, pitching the merits of their organization, according to sources.
The Browns excused Beckham from practice last week while the sides negotiated his exit, which was finalized Friday. After he was officially released Monday, Beckham was eligible to be grabbed by the other 31 teams, but none wanted to put in a waiver claim and pick up his renegotiated contract of $7.25 million by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
Cleveland must pay Beckham $4.25 million but will save $3 million.
Beckham, 29, had 17 catches for 232 yards and zero touchdowns in six games this season. He had only two 100-yard games in 29 games after joining Cleveland in the 2019 blockbuster trade with the New York Giants.
He asked to be traded and never developed an on-field connection with Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. Beckham essentially forced his release last week when his father shared an 11-minute video on social media — hours before the trade deadline — of plays in which Mayfield didn’t pass him the ball.
The three-time Pro Bowler had 1,035 receiving yards in his first season with Cleveland but suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2020 and was out when the Browns ended a long playoff drought and won their first playoff game in 26 years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.