NFL Trade Grade: What are the Giants thinking trading Odell Beckham to the Browns?

The NFL’s Hot Stove season received a massive jolt when the New York Giants traded star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr to the Cleveland Browns.

Odell Beckham Jr, who is easily one of the best receivers in the NFL, is now a member of the Cleveland Browns.

Rumors had been swirling around Beckham’s availability for a few weeks now, but this move still comes as a complete shock to the football world. The Browns receive a future Hall of Famer while only giving up the No. 17 pick, the second of two third round picks they owned and former first round safety Jabrill Peppers.

Who got the better end of this deal? You don’t need to be a straight-A student to know the Browns came away as victors in this deal.

Browns Grade: A

This trade is an absolute home run for the Browns. Beckham had a huge year for the Giants last season despite shaky quarterback play out of Eli Manning, recording 77 catches for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns in just 12 games. The Browns now have a huge weapon for second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield, who already has a promising supporting cast featuring Jarvis Landry, David Njoku, and Nick Chubb. Adding Beckham to the mix could elevate Cleveland to the top of the AFC North this season.

Giants Grade: F-

This trade makes absolutely no sense for the Giants. A first round pick is nice and Peppers can begin to replace the departed Landon Collins in the secondary, but this is nowhere near enough to get back for a game-breaking wide receiver. To make matters worse, taking Beckham off the Giants makes it harder for the Giants to try and win with Manning, which has guided most of their moves for the past two years.

Without Beckham, the Giants are going to contend for the worst record and could be picking at the top of next year’s NFL Draft where they may take Manning’s successor if they don’t do so this draft. In short, the Giants thought they were better off keeping Manning than Beckham and that should be enough to convince any Giants fan that general manager Dave Gettleman is the most hated man in the state.