Ian Rapoport: Odell Beckham Jr. Never Embraced Cleveland, Doesn't Have Good Rapport With Baker Mayfield

You see that bomb flying in overhead aimed directly at Cleveland Browns headquarters? Ian Rapoport dropped it and now Odell Beckham Jr. the Browns and Baker Mayfield have to deal with the consequences.

According to Rapoport, Odell Beckham Jr., "never really fully embraced Cleveland and he's never had a good rapport with Baker Mayfield." For those reasons, Rap speculates Beckham is on the trade block and may have played his last game for the Cleveland Browns following a torn ACL that ended his season.

Whoever fed Rap this information (must have come from someone in the Browns organization, right?) just lit a match and threw it on a smoldering pile of leaves long waiting for a spark to ignite the whole thing ablaze.

Since his trade from the Giants two years ago, there have been rumblings that Beckham was on the trade block at various times. Even Mike Francesa said he had a source who believed Beckham was on the verge of being shipped out of Cleveland because of his rocky tenure there. But saying Beckham didn't embrace the city and doesn't have a good connection with the starting quarterback indicates the issues are much deeper than anyone believed.

Conversely, Beckham's longtime friend and former LSU teammate Jarvis Landry said a few weeks ago that this is the happiest he's seen Beckham since college. Beckham agreed. Beckham also has three more years (after this season) on his contract and is guaranteed $12 million next year because of an injury clause. Couple that with his declining play on the field and the drama he brings an organization and you have a "star" who is very hard to trade.

Whether you take Rapoport at his word on Beckham's feelings for the city and his quarterback or disagree with him completely, this feels like a point of no return for Backham and the Browns. It's been a turbulent relationship already. This adds a more damning element that's impossible to ignore.