How does the NFL waiver wire work for Odell Beckham Jr.?
By Joe Romano
The Cleveland Browns ended their recent saga with star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Friday morning and he will hit the NFL’s waiver wire.
Per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport the Cleveland Browns will officially release wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Friday. He will now move onto the waiver wire where teams will be able to put claims in for his services.
Sources: The #Browns are releasing star WR Odell Beckham Jr., as the two sides came together on a resolution to end his Cleveland tenure. At long last, he’s out and he’ll head to waivers.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 5, 2021
The waiver wire can get confusing in the NFL. Before Week 3 of the season, the waiver wire is in the same order as last offseason’s NFL draft. Once Week 3 passes the order changes to reflect the teams’ records. Per ESPN’s Field Yates the current waiver wire order top ten teams are listed below.
- Lions
- Dolphins
- Texans
- Jaguars
- Jets
- Giants
- Washington FT
- Eagles
- Seahawks
- Bears
The waiver wire in the NFL could get very active with Odell Beckham Jr.’s release now official.
An interesting caveat of the waiver wire is that other teams do not know who does and does not put claims in on players. A team that wants to put a claim does so blindly with hopes that they are the highest-ranking team to put a claim and are awarded that player. Should they be awarded a player, the team that puts in the bid will be responsible for the remaining amount of that players’ salary. That is one reason the Browns reworked Beckham Jr.’s contract in hopes that a team will put a claim in on the receiver and give Cleveland some financial relief.
Players like Beckham Jr. rarely hit waivers so it would be a surprise to see him go unclaimed. If that does happen the star receiver will get to pick his next team, his likely preferred outcome. For now, the NFL and Beckham Jr. wait with baited breath to see his next destination.