Mike Francesa Comes Flying In With Odell Beckham Jr. Trade Rumor

Mike Francesa has become known for a lot of things over the course of his very lengthy radio career. Inside scoops, on any team, is not really one of them. Yet that didn't stop him from throwing out a trade rumor involving one Odell Beckham Jr. and the Cleveland Browns.

He then followed up with a scoop about the asking price, which is "a lot."

The Browns were brutally beaten down by the divisional rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 1. OBJ, who is slated to make $18 million this season, had three catches for 22 yards in that loss. It was an ignominious start for the star wideout after a disappointing 2019 campaign where he notched 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns. Those are good numbers, to be sure, but not for one of the highest-paid receivers in the league, and it didn't lead to very many wins.

It does, however, seem a little early to trade Baker Mayfield's most talented pass-catcher. The Browns looked horrible in their 38-6 loss and Colin Cowherd is probably taking mental victory laps about Mayfield's play, but it was the first week of a season with significantly less prep time than players are accustomed to. Jumping the gun to trade a talent like OBJ is the kind of thing that keeps bad franchises like Cleveland bad franchises. Then again, this isn't the first time his name has been floated in trade rumors.

This is also Mike Francesa, who is not exactly the Adam Schefter or the Ian Rapoport of the NFL radio world. So take it with a grain of salt. But it would be amusing if Francesa, of all people, ended up being first on an OBJ trade scoop.