Here’s what a Jets trade for Odell Beckham Jr. would look like

The Jets need an upgrade at wide receiver and Odell Beckham is interested in returning to New York. Here’s how a trade can actually materialize. 

Odell Beckham Jr. apparently doesn’t buy into the adage that you can’t go home again. The current Cleveland Browns wide receiver is reportedly interested in returning to New York. This time, the enigmatic wide receiver is intrigued by the idea of plying his trade with the Jets.

According to Sports Illustrated, Beckham views the Jets as an “ideal landing spot” if he is dealt by the Browns this offseason. While the odds are stacked against such a seismic trade taking place, it’s still an interesting thought exercise to explore what the deal might look like.

Cleveland’s interest in offloading Beckham would be two-fold. Firstly, head coach Kevin Stefanski would be sending a message to his roster that distractions will not be permitted. The Browns experienced great success in 2020 without Beckham contributing on the field. It’s possible the organization believes they can achieve addition by subtraction by offloading him.

There’s also the reality that Beckham is set to count for just under $16 million against Cleveland’s salary cap in 2021. Sending him to New York could help the Browns address more pressing needs in free agency.

From the Jets’ perspective, it’s simple to understand why they’d be interested in the talented wideout. They desperately need to add a dynamic playmaker to aid whoever their quarterback is going to be next season. For all his faults, Beckham is a guy who attracts a ton of attention from opposing defensive backs. He could help accelerate new coach Robert Salah’s rebuild in the Big Apple.

The Browns’ motivation to clear cap space means they’re unlikely to accept this being a player-for-player swap. They would, however, be keenly interested in accepting draft capital in exchange for their prolific wide receiver.

Cleveland will likely start negotiations off by trying to get a first-rounder. The Jets would be foolish to accept that offer. They do have an extra first-round selection available this season as a result of the Jamal Adams trade, but that’s too much to give up for Beckham. New York should push back by pointing out that Beckham is an expensive player who is coming off a season-ending injury.

Fair value for Beckham might be a selection in the middle of Round 2, but the Jets don’t have that to offer. Their only selection in Day 2 is the second pick in the round at No. 34 overall. That is too valuable of a pick to give up for Beckham.

That should force this potential deal to land with a third-round selection exchanging hands. That might seem like a poor return for Cleveland, but the lion’s share of their value in the deal comes with what they can do with the money Beckham was supposed to make moving forward.

Flipping Beckham to New York for their third-round pick (No. 66 overall) would represent fair value for both teams. That might permit the Jets to win the press conference, but it’s equally likely that Cleveland would win the trade over the long haul.