CLEVELAND — Ever since the New York Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns earlier this season, the star wide receiver hasn't been shy to speak on the matter.
On multiple occasions, Beckham admitted he felt "hurt" and "disrespected" by the trade, which ended his Giants tenure after five seasons with the team.
With the 2019 season on the horizon and the 3-time Pro Bowl selection's Cleveland career about to begin, Beckham is now revealing new details about the deal that brought him to the Browns. Speaking to Sports Illustrated's Ben Baskin for this week's cover story, the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year claimed New York had better offers on the table than the one it accepted from the Browns, but opted instead to make the trade personal.
“This wasn’t no business move,” Beckham said. “This was personal. They thought they’d send me here to die.”
If that's what the Giants actually thought -- they declined to comment on the story -- they are likely disappointed by the outcome. Entering the 2019 season, Cleveland is arguably the NFL's hottest team and the favorite to win the AFC North, which would mark the Browns' first division title since 1989.
The addition of Beckham has been a big part of that as one of the NFL's most prolific receivers is joining an offense that also includes Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, David Njoku, Kareem Hunt, Antonio Callaway and Rashard Higgins. What's more is Beckham's teammates seem to be more in tune with his personality than his former ones did -- especially Mayfield, who has publicly defended his new star target in the months since the Browns acquired him.
“I’ve never had that before,” Beckham said.
You can read the full Sports Illustrated cover story at SI.com.