Cleveland acquired Odell Beckham Jr. from the Giants in…
Cleveland acquired Odell Beckham Jr. from the Giants in exchange for Jabrill Peppers, the 17th pick in the 2019 draft and a third-round pick. Beckham produced one 1,000-yard season for the Browns but never became the transformational piece Cleveland expected. The Giants used the first-rounder on Dexter Lawrence, who developed into a multiple-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle.
Cleveland Browns Received
- player Odell Beckham Jr
New York Giants Received
- pick Jabrill Peppers, 2019 1st round pick (17th overall, Dexter Lawrence) and 2019 3rd round pick (95th overall, Oshane Ximines)
Trade Analysis
Cleveland's acquisition of Odell Beckham Jr. was designed to accelerate a young roster that appeared ready to contend. Beckham had already produced three Pro Bowl seasons with the Giants and was one of the league's most explosive receivers. Pairing him with Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry and a talented group of skill players created enormous expectations. The Giants, meanwhile, chose to convert a star receiver into a young safety and two valuable draft selections.
The Browns never received the sustained payoff they envisioned. Beckham caught 74 passes for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns in 2019, but Cleveland finished 6-10. A knee injury limited him to seven games in 2020. In 2021 he played six games for the Browns before the relationship ended. Across 29 regular-season games for Cleveland, Beckham totaled 1,586 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Those are useful numbers, but they fell well short of the impact expected from the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade.
New York's return aged better. Jabrill Peppers gave the Giants a starting defensive back for three seasons. The No. 17 pick became Dexter Lawrence, who grew into one of the league's premier interior defenders. Lawrence made three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2022 through 2024 and earned second-team All-Pro recognition in 2022 and 2023. The Giants later received another first-round pick when Lawrence was traded in 2026, extending the value created by the original Beckham deal. The third-round selection became edge rusher Oshane Ximines.
This record should remain focused on the Beckham transaction rather than being blended with the separate Olivier Vernon-Kevin Zeitler player swap completed around the same time. On its own terms, the Beckham deal favored New York. Cleveland acquired the biggest name, but the Browns never got enough availability or sustained production to justify the price. The Giants took the harder public step of moving a star and ultimately landed Lawrence, the most valuable long-term piece to emerge from the exchange.