Report: WR Odell Beckham Jr. requested trade from Browns last offseason

Stories emerged Thursday that the Cleveland Browns and big-name wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. could come to some sort of resolution that would include his return to the club amid the drama sparked by his father's social media posts that blamed quarterback Baker Mayfield for missed connections between the teammates during games. 

That wasn't meant to be, however, as the Browns officially released the former Pro Bowl talent on Friday morning. Beckham is subject to waivers and, thus, cannot automatically hit free agency. 

It was rumored earlier in the week the Browns could look for a buyer for Beckham ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, and it was learned after 4 p.m. ET that day that Cleveland spoke with the New Orleans Saints about a potential deal that apparently wasn't all that close to materializing. 

Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com delivered somewhat of a bombshell after Beckham's release when she reported the veteran, who is celebrating his 29th birthday Friday, "asked to be traded multiple times, including in the offseason when he was coming off surgery to repair a torn ACL." 

Beckham suffered that season-ending injury in October 2020. 

It's been said the Browns couldn't move Beckham ahead of the trade deadline because no other buyer wanted to be on the hook for the reported $8.05 million remaining on his salary for this season, so it's safe to assume money was also an issue if Cleveland reached out to other teams about OBJ during the spring or summer months when he was still recovering from his torn ACL. 

Whatever the case, Beckham and the Browns have broken up, and each entity will have opportunities to prove the other wrong moving forward.