Odell Beckham Jr. free agency, Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Let’s regrade the trade that sent Odell Beckham from the New York Giants to the Cleveland Browns in 2019, after news of Dexter Lawrence’s new contract.
In 2019, the NFL world was shaken to its core over an explosive trade. The New York Giants had just signed wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a five-year, $95 million contract extension ahead of the 2018 season. Yet, that didn’t stop Giants general manager Dave Gettleman from trading him away to the Cleveland Browns a matter of months after giving Beckham that contract.
Beckham was a polarizing player on the Giants when it comes to the fanbase. On one hand, he was singlehandedly one of the team’s best players on offense. On the other, there were those in the fanbase who grew tired of his antics on and off the field. The reaction was, split to say the least.
As for the Browns, they got their star wide receiver to pair with then-second year quarterback Baker Mayfield to help make a push for a playoff berth.
On May 4, 2023, one of the pieces that was part of the Beckham trade now became the third-highest paid players at his position. Of course, that is defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who signed a four-year, $90 million contract extension ($60 million guaranteed) with the Giants.
With this news, let’s take a loo back at the full trade and hand out some new trades. For those unaware, here is the trade in full:
Browns Get
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Giants Get
S Jabrill Peppers
DT Dexter Lawrence (17th overall pick in 2019)
LB Oshane Ximines (No. 95 overall pick in 2019)
Now, let’s hand out some grades to see which team truly was the winner of the four-year old trade.
