CLEVELAND — Los Angeles Rams future Hall of Fame edge-rusher Von Miller indicated to Sports Illustrated this week that Odell Beckham Jr. was down on the Browns last offseason, long before his father, Odell Beckham Sr., helped him orchestrate his way out of town.
The two close friends had moved to Colorado Springs to rehab from their injuries together, Miller a dislocated tendon in his left ankle, and Beckham, the torn ACL suffered in the victory over the Bengals on Oct. 25, 2020.
Miller told SI.com’s Greg Bishop that the two pondered almost every day what it would be like to play together. One day, he even wondered aloud, what if that were in Ohio, where Miller also would’ve played opposite his fellow Texas A&M alum and close friend Myles Garrett.
“Don’t come to Cleveland,” Miller told Sports Illustrated Beckham said.
The answer foreshadowed what would happen months later, with Miller traded by the Broncos to the Rams, and Beckham signing there at Miller’s urging after the Browns released him Nov. 5. Beckham’s explosive exit came after his father shared a video on social media entitled “Odell Beckham Jr. is always open.”
The video was a montage of all the times Beckham was either open and Baker Mayfield didn’t throw him the ball, or missed him. The tactic and its aftermath — including LeBron James joining the #FreeOBJ campaign — had the desired outcome for the Beckham camp, with the Browns feeling they had no choice but to release the three-time Pro Bowler.
In the wake of the controversy, a source told cleveland.com that Beckham, who never had any chemistry with Mayfield, had asked to be traded in the offseason, which would seem to be in line with Miller’s revelation.
Miller also said he had a vivid dream around the time he was traded of Beckham winning Super Bowl MVP, following in Miller’s footsteps. The dream had him feeling overjoyed, and shortly thereafter, he understood the full impact when Beckham joined him in Los Angeles.
On Sunday, they’ll try to get one step closer to making it a reality when they host the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
“It’s time, man,” Miller said Beckham told him. “Time to put it all together.”
With the Rams, Beckham found the chemistry that he never had with Mayfield, catching six TD passes from Matt Stafford in 10 regular-season games, and one in two playoff games. The six TD catches matches the half-dozen he had in three seasons with Mayfield.
In two playoff games, Beckham has caught 10-of-12 targets for 123 yards and the touchdown, and in the Rams’ 34-11 Wild Card victory over the Cardinals, Beckham played a key role in three TDs, catching a 4-yarder to open the scoring, catching a 31-yard strike to set up a Stafford sneak for a score, and rifling a 40-yard pass to Cam Aker that led to a Cooper Kupp TD catch.
The Browns, meanwhile, struggled down the stretch without their deep threat and X receiver, and finished the season 8-9 and out of the playoffs.
Beckham posted photos of himself in a Rams uniform on Instagram this week with the caption “This was all a part of God’s plan … keep walking in faith!’
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