Editor’s note: In the coming weeks our Patriots insiders will be speaking with beat writers from around the NFL to get an outside view on what the future holds for the Patriots. Today’s team: The Cleveland Browns with Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Over the last couple of years, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has been a subject of New England Patriots trade rumors.
As crazy as that speculation may seem, it isn't unfounded. The Cleveland Browns superstar has been open about his admiration for Tom Brady, and the former Pats quarterback could have used an additional weapon or two toward the end of his tenure in New England.
But now that Brady has taken his talents to Tampa Bay, can we officially put the OBJ-to-New England talk to rest? Tom E. Curran asked Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that question on the latest edition of Patriots Opposing Views.
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"Now that Tom Brady is gone, I'm pretty sure that it would be a dead issue," Cabot said. "I don't know that Odell is pining away to go to New England without Tom Brady there. I think that he is completely 100 percent enamored with Tom Brady. He has said as much ...
"I've talked to Odell myself just about how he feels about Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, so it was the combination of those two guys that he from afar always wistfully wished he could be a part of that. Now that Tom isn't there, I wouldn't necessarily think that this is something he would be clamoring after."
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Rumors swirled during the Browns' disappointing 2019 campaign about Beckham telling opposing coaches to trade for him in the offseason. Of course, he hasn't been dealt and is preparing for a bounce-back season with a Cleveland team that has a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski.
In New England, it'll likely be Jarrett Stidham taking over for Brady at the quarterback position. While that may not seem so enticing for OBJ now, we'll just have to see how the 2020 season plays out. Perhaps a strong showing from Stidham and another down year in Cleveland would reinvigorate Beckham's interest.