It’s no April Fools Day joke. The Cleveland Browns began its voluntary off season workout program with a press conference to introduce new wide receiver Odell Beckham.
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“At the end of the day, I am here. This is a different league,” Beckham said. “You do not get to pick where you go. I feel like there is no way God would have led me here to not be here for a reason. It makes sense. All we care about is winning. You talk about one ball. He might throw it to him, he might lateral it to me. It is a possibility. That is just how it is. As it all settled in, I am very excited for this, and I think it is going to be one of the best things that have ever happened to me in my life.”
Now the journey begins toward making the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season. Beckham is a huge addition for second year quarterback Baker Mayfield.
“I have known this guy for a little bit of time, too,” Beckham said. “We have trained in L.A. We feel like we have talked about being here and it is here. It is hard for me to put into words being here today, but I am just thankful for the opportunity.”
"This moment is going to be more iconic than we all realize right now."
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— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 2, 2019
Joining Beckham at his introductory press conference is Mayfield, Myles Garrett and childhood friend and teammate Jarvis Landry.
“I did not know for sure if it was possible,” Landry said. “Was hoping in the back of my mind that obviously it would be possible. I guess a couple of weeks ago the ball kind of got rolling on it. It is more than an honor to take the field with him again.”
“As you can imagine, pretty excited,” Mayfield said. “It was one of those things, like O said, it was one of those things that you cannot put into words to describe it correctly. I had two people at the house sitting there when I found out. I just started screaming (laughter). Just yelling like you would have thought I was on the field on gameday. Just excited.”
“It is the potential. It is knowing exactly who he is and knowing what type of guy he is. He has played. His ability speaks for itself. The things that we have talked about all throughout last year – what we need, the types of guys we need in this locker room to go into the right direction – that is the best thing about that is he is a team guy. He is going to be a great presence for us in this locker room.”
“We are good on paper,” Garrett said. “Everything looks good and everything looks tight on offense and on defense, but until we go out there and prove it, until we go out and win each and every day, it is just words right now, just thoughts.”
So what does Beckham think about his first year head coach Freddie Kitchens?
“I love him (laughter). Gave him a big hug. He told me he loved me (laughter). We just went from there. He is just straightforward,” Beckham said. “It is just authentic from what I can tell at the moment obviously. Only time will tell in every aspect of life. Just first impression, I am very excited. I just feel a different energy from when I stepped off the plane and then coming in here to see. It is love. That is something that we have based ourselves on our entire lives – it is love. You can definitely feel it when you walk in. So I am looking forward to it.”
It is never easy to get traded to another team. How did Beckham handle the initial moments once the deal became official?
“It is just life, it is such a sudden change. It is hard to explain,” Beckham said. “Of course, I have my guys here, but at the same time, you build a relationship with your teammates and those other guys on that team. That is really what is the hardest thing. I saw Saquon (Barkley) and Shep (Sterling Shepard) the other night, and we were all like… It is just different. It is really the guys in the locker room, the people that you go to war with, you wake up in training camp and you go through all of those things with. That is really what makes it so hard. Now, I get an opportunity to meet new guys and new friends. It is very exciting.”
It is so clear to see. The start of football season in Browns town can’t get here fast enough.
Scott Piker is the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Indians Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage.com. So follow him on twitter @ScottPikerSport
