The NFL has suspended a former Cleveland Browns wide receiver for several weeks due to a violation of the league’s rules surrounding the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news via social media on Tuesday, October 7.
“Free-agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. told @thepivot that he is accepting a six-game suspension for a PED violation last season,” Schefter posted to X. The suspension will appear on today’s NFL wire.
As Schefter noted, Beckham is not currently with a team, and he hasn’t played anywhere in the NFL to this point in the 2025 campaign. Beckham was most recently a member of the Miami Dolphins for nine games during the 2024 season.
By accepting the suspension, Beckham will not be eligible to play for any franchise until Week 12. It is unlikely that he will sign anywhere before then given the financial implications for any team that might be interested.
Odell Beckham Jr. Had Tumultuous Tenure With Browns, Including Issues With QB Baker Mayfield
GettyWide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (left) and quarterback Baker Mayfield (right), formerly of the Cleveland Browns.
Beckham began his career in 2014 as Offensive Rookie of the Year with the New York Giants. He earned second-team All-Pro honors the next two seasons and made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three years in the league.
Beckham landed with Cleveland in 2019, hauling in 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns. It was the last season of his career in which he eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving.
The wideout dealt with injuries the following year that cost him all but seven games. Meanwhile, third-year quarterback Baker Mayfield led the Browns to their first playoff appearance in 18 seasons and first playoff victory in more than a quarter century on the strength of an 11-5 record. Head coach Kevin Stefanski also won the NFL Coach of the Year award.
Beckham’s frustrations with the offense, and with Mayfield specifically, led to Cleveland’s ultimate decision to trade the receiver to Los Angeles Rams in 2021. Beckham played six games for the Browns during that campaign and eight regular-season contests for L.A. He was a significant factor in the Rams‘ run to a Super Bowl title that year, though he tore his ACL in the second quarter of the championship game and missed all of 2022.
Odell Beckham Jr. Announced Earlier This Season He Intends to Return to NFL
GettyFormer Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham returned to play 14 games for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 before his most recent NFL stint in Miami last year.
Despite his inability to catch on with a team early in his age-33 season, Beckham has made it clear that he does not intend to retire and remains interested in pursuing a career in professional football.
The news Tuesday of the NFL’s decision to suspend Beckham for PED use will certainly hinder him in that endeavor, though it isn’t impossible that if he shows himself healthy and in good shape that Beckham could catch on with a franchise in need of depth in the wide receivers room as part of a late-season push.
For his career, Beckham has amassed 575 receptions for 7,987 yards and 59 touchdowns. He has earned just under $102 million across his ten years in the league.
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