CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
When Odell Beckham Jr. effectively forced his way off the team last November, one might have assumed that he burned a lot of bridges in the Cleveland Browns' locker room.
But if the reaction to his performance in the Los Angeles Rams' Wild Card round win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night was any indication, that doesn't appear to be the case.
As Beckham caught four passes for 54 yards and a touchdown -- and completed another pass attempt of his own for 40 yards -- multiple Browns players took to social media to applaud their former teammate. That group included Beckham's close friend and former college teammate, Jarvis Landry, wide receiver Rashard Higgins, cornerback Greg Newsome II, linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. and safety Jovante Moffatt.
The tweets from Beckham's former teammates come two months after he came to terms with a release from Cleveland after reportedly asking for a trade following the Browns' Week 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the days leading up to his release, Beckham's father, Odell Beckham Sr., posted an 11-minute and 24-second long video clip of quarterback Baker Mayfield missing his son on various throws throughout the 2021 season to his verified Instagram account. The older Beckham also wasn't shy to reply to comments on his post, agreeing with criticisms of Mayfield on multiple occasions.
While the Browns ultimately didn't trade Beckham before the Nov. 2 trade deadline, they did personally excuse him from practice throughout the week, which head coach Kevin Stefanski deemed "the right thing to do." After procuring his release from Cleveland, the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver went on to sign a one-year deal with the Rams, with whom he caught 27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns in eight regular-season games before Monday's playoff matchup.
Meanwhile, without Beckham in their lineup, the Browns went on to lose five of their final nine games, finishing the season with a disappointing 8-9 record.