CLEVELAND — In the aftermath of Odell Beckham Jr. suffering a season-ending torn ACL, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that the star wide receiver may have played his final game with the Cleveland Browns.
"From my understanding, there is a very real possibility that he has played his final game with the Cleveland Browns," Rapoport said on NFL GameDay this past Sunday. "Beckham has never fully embraced Cleveland, he's never had a good rapport with Baker Mayfield. And as we saw last week, they may be playing better without him."
But when asked about Beckham's future with the franchise on Wednesday, Browns general manager Andrew Berry made it clear his feelings haven't changed.
“I feel like this is a question that I have literally addressed every week since I took the job," Berry said during a Zoom call with reporters during the Browns' bye week. "Really at this point in time, I really do not see a difference.”
Berry's answer was an apparent reference to comments he made at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, when he stated that the Browns view Beckham "as a part of our future." Pressed on if that's what he meant on Wednesday, the first-year general manager made it clear he didn't see the need to address the same question twice.
"Respectfully, I feel like I have answered this question enough," Berry said. "I can’t control what the outside noise says."
To Berry's point, the trade speculation surrounding Beckham isn't likely to end anytime soon. Should the Browns play well in the second half of the season, the narrative that they're better without him may only grow louder, which could make him a popular target in trade rumors next offseason.
But when it comes to Beckham's future, Berry remains focused on what he could do in Cleveland as opposed to anywhere else.
"Odell is one of the best receivers in the NFL," Berry said. "He played really good football for us before he was injured. He has done a fantastic job with his teammates and at practice. He has embraced the organization. He is under contract for multiple years. Our focus with Odell is making sure that he recovers from the ACL tear. We want him to be healthy and ready to go next year."
You can watch Berry's full press conference in the video player below.