The Cleveland Browns were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders during the 2021 season. Instead, the usual drama surrounded the team all year. That continues to be the case in the offseason as well.
Unfortunately for fans, the top story surrounding the team for much of the regular season was the saga of Odell Beckham Jr.
His father shared a video right at the trade deadline, showing how often Baker Mayfield missed his son on open routes.
The team ended up granting Beckham his release, and the receiver went on to win a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. That allowed storylines to pop up about how he returned to his usual ways once he left Cleveland.
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Then came the drama surrounding his friend and former teammate, Jarvis Landry.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Landry went on a Twitter rant and declared he is ready to play elsewhere if the Browns want him to take a pay cut or if they want to move on in general.
This is a steep fall from all the good vibes surrounding the team heading into the 2021 campaign. Sadly, this has been a common theme for the organization since 1999.
Browns still trying to do the little things right
The franchise has been to the postseason just twice since returning to the league in 1999. In fact, they only have a total of three winning seasons in that span as well.
The main narrative of the Browns has been dysfunction for the better part of two decades, but it all seemed to change in 2020.
First-year head coach Kevin Stefanski overcame all the obstacles prevented by the unique, COVID-impacted season and led the team to a playoff win over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
They then nearly beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round.
That would be an incredible launch point for most teams. But problems persisted and were never solved by the front office. Beckham was reportedly not happy in Cleveland and the organization simply tried to make it work.
Clearly, it was never going to work and the lack of a connection between Mayfield and Beckham was clear from the start.
There is also a whole other angle to discuss in which Mayfield played the entire season hurt with a torn labrum. That alone sums up the Browns fan experience in any given year.
The offseason is now underway and one of the team's leaders in Landry is taking to Twitter to share his grievances with the franchise.
That is less than ideal and is not what is usually seen from a team ready to win a Super Bowl. Add in unknowns about Mayfield's future in town and the team has countless questions to answer.
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