Odell Beckham Jr.'s Time in Cleveland Has Expired For The Better

The Cleveland Browns are done with Odell Beckham Jr.

This news came as a surprise to quarterback Baker Mayfield — but it really shouldn't have. The harsh reality is that the Browns have moved on from Beckham long ago.

During the Browns 15-10 clunker on Halloween against the Steelers, the Browns hardly looked his way.

It was apparent that coach Kevin Stefanski simply had no intention on expanding his playbook for a gimmicky plan to get Beckham involved. We haven't seen an attempt to get the ball into his hands all year after last season, we watched him catch a left-handed rocket from his buddy Jarvis Landry and take a dazzling end-around to the house of Jerry's World. None of that to be seen in 2021, when this offense seemingly needs him most.

Now, layers of the onion are beginning to be peeled back.

Numerous reports say Beckham asked for a trade and then asked for his release when the deadline passed.

After plenty of drama, the Browns are seemingly playing hardball. As they should be.

They don't want to release Beckham, as that gives him what he wants. This three-year vacation in Cleveland has always been about what Beckham wants.

From no-showing to OTAs, telling opposing teams to Come Get Him, and begging the Browns for a trade via a social media berate from his father, LeBron James, and Marcus Stroman, Beckham's time in Cleveland has gone exactly how he has wanted it to because his camp has controlled everything.

Until the bitter end, Beckham is still striving to control the narrative about his time in Cleveland, strategically leaking information to Josina Anderson that he is willing to show up to practice, but the Browns are the party keeping him away.

Classic. If you wanted to suit up and practice, shouldn't you communicate that with your coach, who hadn't heard anything from you in over 24 hours?

A plethora of options exist. They could give the player what he wants and release him. This process places the veteran on waivers, and any team would be able to put a claim in.

The Browns can hold Beckham out against his will for a maximum of four games. If they did that, his remaining salary would be just over $4 million, perhaps making it more likely for him to be claimed by a bad team, away from a contender, and off Cleveland's books, per ESPN's Dan Graziano.

At the end of the day, it's increasingly clear that Beckham does not want to be in Cleveland. It's likely that he never wanted to be in Cleveland and this was always going to be the final outcome.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said it best after trading disgruntled veteran Melvin Ingram.

"From a team perspective, it's better to have volunteers than hostages."

An $8 million check is a tough pill to swallow, but there's a dark cloud over this organization that needs to be moved before a must-win game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

That dark cloud wears a No. 13 jersey, sometimes shoes, visors, and even watches that break protocol, and it's just better if all sides moved on.