We don’t yet know where Odell Beckham Jr. will play next, but we do know one place he won’t be playing: Detroit.
Lions coach Dan Campbell, asked whether or not his team — which has the league’s top waiver priority due to its 0-8 record — will put in a claim on Beckham, simply responded, “Uh, no,” according to MLive.com. The Browns officially placed the receiver on waivers on Monday. Teams have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to put in a claim. Any claiming team would assume Beckham’s contract for the rest of the season at $7.25 million.
Campbell noted that that he and GM Brad Holmes “talk about everything,” but that they decided this move is not for them.
“He was no different. I would just leave it at that,” Campbell said, regarding how they handled this discussion in comparison to opportunities to acquire other plays. “Look, our ears and our eyes are open to everything. And if there was a certain way to make things work, we’d be open for just about any player if it made sense.”
One of the most heavily rumored landing spots for Beckham is New Orleans. If he lands there, it will not be via waivers. Saints coach Sean Payton also said on Monday that the Saints won’t put in a claim for Beckham. Of course, there’s a good reason for that.
“The claiming deadline is today. No, it’s impossible for us to put a claim in on the player,” Payton said. “You just have to look at the salary cap space. And if we were going to put in a claim, it wouldn’t be something we discuss. I know it makes hit-worthy news.”
New Orleans has just over $537K in salary cap space in the moment, according to Spotrac, which means Beckham’s salary cannot fit on the books. If the Saints are to sign him, it will have to be after he clears waivers and they make another move to clear room under the cap.
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