CLEVELAND — It's official!
Odell Beckham Jr. is a member of the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland acquired Beckham and defensive end Olivier Vernon in a trade that sent right guard Kevin Zeitler and safety Jabrill Peppers to the New York Giants.
The Browns also sent their first round and third round pick to New York.
“It's a reflection of the direction the organization is headed,” Browns general manager John Dorsey said. “My hat's off to a lot of people in this organization because we spent countless hours, weeks — I mean, we can go all the way back to December when we began the planning phases of these types of acquisitions. So my hat's off to a lot of people in the personnel department and the coaching staff. And for ownership for allowing these types of things to happen. It shows you that ownership is committed to winning."
Beckham had more than 1,000 receiving yards in four of his five seasons in the NFL and made the Pro Bowl three times. He was drafted by the Giants in the first round in 2014 and played college football at Louisiana State University.
"He's probably if not the one, one or two best receivers in the National Football League,” Dorsey said. “Very rarely do you get a chance to acquire a player of this magnitude. He's at a relatively young age. He's got a lot of football left in him. Great hands, great work ethic, committed, competitive, he really wants to be great. And that's all you can ask for."
Last season, Beckham had 77 receptions and six touchdowns.
The trade reunites Beckham with former college teammate Jarvis Landry, who led the Browns with 81 receptions and 976 yards last season.
“I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to be part of this organization and the direction they are headed,” Beckham said. “I’ve already witnessed the energy fans bring in that city having been to some playoff games at The Q. Browns fans deserve a winning football team. This is a fresh start for me and it’s going to be great to join Baker (Mayfield) and Jarvis on this team. I will always appreciate the opportunity the Giants granted me and I’m thankful to them along with the fans and people in that city for supporting me."
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