Report: Saints explored trade for Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr.

There’s the most exciting news from the NFL trade deadline we’ll get all day: the move the New Orleans Saints thought about maybe considering making, but ultimately didn’t. ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin reports the Saints discussed a trade for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. but weren’t able to reach a deal.

That makes sense considering the Saints are sitting under the salary cap by roughly $1.36 million, with Beckham carrying a cap hit of $8.52 million in his remaining salary this season. It’s possible the Saints could have offered a better draft pick to get Cleveland to eat most of that, but they might have been unwilling to offer enough compensation to make it worthwhile for the Browns.

So Beckham will remain in Cleveland for the rest of the season, and the Saints will be hoping Michael Thomas can return some time soon. They don’t have a single receiver averaging more than 50 yards per game (Deonte Harris leads the team at 45.2) and could really use more help for their next starting quarterback, whether that’s Trevor Siemian or Taysom Hill.

But the Saints’ interest in Beckham is worth filing away for later. There is no more guaranteed money in his contract with the Browns and they could release him in the spring while saving $15 million, making him an unrestricted free agent — and one that won’t factor into the NFL compensatory draft picks formula, which the Saints have been paying closer attention to lately. Don’t be surprised if there’s more interest in a teamup next March.