The most disappointing skill position player in football got a big endorsement Tuesday from the biggest star in basketball. Noted Cleveland Browns fan LeBron James took to Twitter to reveal his allegiances in the Odell Beckham Jr.-Baker Mayfield feud. And it’s not on the side of the Browns’ QB1. Could Beckham be traded before today’s deadline?
LeBron James wants Browns to ‘free Odell Beckham Jr.’
Around lunchtime Tuesday — and four hours or so before the NFL trade deadline — James fired off this tweet heard ’round the sporting world:
OBJ will show again why he’s special. WR1 #FreeOBJ
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 2, 2021
James’ show of support came just hours after Beckham’s dad, Odell Sr., aired his grievances with Mayfield, essentially blaming Cleveland’s ailing quarterback for his son’s terrible season.
The elder Beckham posted a lengthy video to Instagram that highlighted the many times Mayfield either didn’t see or chose not to throw to an open OBJ. And if that didn’t make his thoughts on the matter clear enough, Odell’s dad then responded to a comment that said Mayfield was “either hating on Odell, or he just doesn’t want him shining” with three green checkmarks.
Baker Mayfield’s camp gets involved
Meanwhile, Mayfield’s camp wasn’t above mixing it up on social media. His wife, Emily, recently liked some tweets that suggested the Browns were failing Mayfield, not the other way around.
So yeah, things are going poorly by the lake. The Browns are 4-4, Mayfield’s non-throwing shoulder is a mess, and the passing game is one of the least effective in football, averaging just 221.4 yards per game.
Beckham’s struggles are a big part of it. He hasn’t been the same player since coming back from reconstructive knee surgery, catching just 17 passes for 232 yards and no touchdowns in six games — despite earning more than $800,000 per week.
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As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero points out, Mayfield has a 69.0 passer rating while targeting Beckham since 2019, the lowest QB-WR efficiency in the league during the stretch. Mayfield’s passer rating is some 20 points lower when throwing the Beckham this year than when he throws to anyone else.
The execution is bad. The chemistry is worse. And yet, the Browns seem to be stuck with Beckham unless they just cut him and eat the salary he’s owed the rest of the season. Beckham, according to multiple reports, is unlikely to be traded.