It’ll be a bit of a slow news cycle for the next couple months until training camp begins and a new season starts up. In the meantime, Odell Beckham Jr. is looking to spice things up. As part of a feature piece written by GQ yesterday, Beckham made a loud claim of where he’s looking to take the Cleveland Browns.
“I plan on being there for the next five years and trying to bring as many championships there as possible,” he told the magazine, “turning [the Browns] into the new Patriots.”
Beckham was traded by the New York Giants to Cleveland earlier in the offseason. It’s part of the Browns roster upheaval that’s making some believe they’ll be AFC North favorites in 2019.
Since the interview dropped, Beckham has taken plenty of heat for those bold proclamations. But I wouldn’t expect him to say anything else. He’s finally away from a Giants team that’s gone nowhere for years and then blamed him for their lack of winning, couching it as a “culture” issue. Every fanbase should hope to have a locker room brimming with that much confidence. And for Cleveland, a chance to hear the words “Super Bowl” without laughter inbetween.
In the interview, he also said Baker Mayfield is the next Brett Favre and will “be a Hall of Famer.” Again, strong claim, but excitement the organization and city has been starved of for far too long.
With Mayfield under center, the Browns went *only* 6-7 but finally found a franchise quarterback in the process. As a rookie, he completed nearly 64% of his passes and threw 27 touchdowns, the latter shattering Otto Graham’s 72 yard old record. He did struggle in his lone start against Pittsburgh, a 33-18 Steelers victory, finishing with only 180 yards, an interception, and two sacks.
Cleveland isn’t going to win six Super Bowls under the Mayfield era but for the first time in a LONG time, there’s a chance to win one.
