CLEVELAND — Does wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. want out of his contract with the Cleveland Browns?
Well, that depends on who is asked.
According to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, Beckham Jr. has been asking opposing players and coaches to “come get me out of here,” but the Pro Bowl receiver’s closest friend not only on the team, but also, in the National Football League, Jarvis Landry, is not convinced.
If someone would know about Beckham Jr.’s unhappiness, it stands to reason that Landry would be as well-informed as anyone could be, and he addressed the matter following Thursday’s practice ahead of the trip to Arizona to play the Cardinals in Glendale Sunday.
“I think he wants to be here,” Landry said. “I know he wants to be here. It’s not even about trying to go somewhere else. For him, he’s been a leader. He’s a guy that’s come to work every day. He’s a guy that’s playing through injuries, all of the things you want out of a player.
“Inside this organization, he has a voice. He has responsibility to himself, to all of us to go out there and compete each and every Sunday, and he does that. So, I don’t think…he doesn’t want to leave and he’s not trying to leave.”
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Before the Browns took the field against the Cincinnati Bengals for the first installment of “The Battle of Ohio” in 2019 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland last Sunday, there was plenty of talk about Beckham Jr.
Between reports of Beckham Jr. playing through a sports hernia injury and Glazer saying on the Fox NFL Sunday pregame show that the Pro Bowl wide receiver has been pursuing a way out of Cleveland, there was no shortage of dramatic moments for the Browns, who beat the Bengals, 27-19, to secure their fourth consecutive victory at FirstEnergy Stadium.
When Beckham Jr. addressed the media last week, he was vague in his response to questions about whether he wanted to remain with the Browns beyond the 2019 season, and he further declined to talk about it following the win over the Bengals.
“I haven’t heard him say anything directly, so I don’t know how it could come out and be all that it is now,” Landry said.
“I’m sure he sees it and it does take a toll in the sense that he’s putting his heart and soul into this season, for this team, and everybody else is trying to make a story off of things that are not really going on.”
In 13 games this season, his first with the Browns after an offseason trade from the New York Giants, Beckham Jr. has converted his 59 receptions into 844 yards, a 14.3 yards-per-catch average, with a long play of 89 yards and two touchdowns. Also, Beckham Jr. has rushed for 10 yards on three carries.
On the Browns, Beckham Jr. is second only to Landry, in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. Beckham Jr. is tied for the best yards-per-reception average among wide receivers and has the team’s longest scrimmage play of the season, regardless of position.
“I think he’s made plays when he’s given the opportunities, and that’s just it,” Landry said. “Find ways to get him opportunities.”
Landry and Beckham Jr. waited five years to become teammates once again after spending their college days together at Louisiana State University, and the former is not willing to give up on that dream, not after just one season.
“That’s the plan,” Landry said.
“If he don’t (tell me), I’m going to beat his (butt),” he added with a trademark smile and laugh.