Sometimes, it’s best to be realistic. Browns receiver Breshad Perriman, who hasn’t done much in three healthy seasons but showed a little promise in Cleveland last year, decided Tuesday afternoon that he’d be fine sticking with a team that was trending up, even if he’d have to compete with Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, David Njoku, and Duke Johnson for looks.
Several hours later, the Browns traded for Odell Beckham Jr., a player who on his own requires a lot of passes thrown his way. Even if Perriman was somehow the best he could be, he’d still be the third-best receiver behind OBJ and Landry. While that situation would be great for the Browns, it’d suck for him! So, it was time for him to wriggle and make some noise on the deal he hadn’t signed yet:
It worked. The Browns weren’t really going to put up much of a fight, because, you know, they have Odell Beckham Jr. now:
Even though Perriman isn’t a star, he was still able to use the little leverage he had. He’ll take the same amount of money on a worse team, but he won’t be lost on the depth chart, can actually see playing time in order to increase his value once he hits free agency again next offseason, and he’ll live in Tampa. Given the circumstances, that’s not bad.