WR Odell Beckham Jr., DL Myles Garrett, WR Jarvis Landry and QB Baker Mayfield:
On if the trade initially shocked Beckham:
Beckham: "I definitely would say that it did. It is just a lot to process. You start off in New York in your career, and the next thing that you know, I am here today. I am very thankful for the opportunity to be here. Kind of the past is in the past. It was definitely a shock, but I think that I have come to grips with everything and processed everything. It was a lot, but my guy is here and I am excited about that."
On Beckham transitioning from New York City to Cleveland:
Beckham: "I do not know; I will have to check it out (laughter). The city, it is definitely different, but at the end of the day, when you are in the season, you just focus on playing ball anyway. I am sure that it will be a little different, but you can make home anywhere."
On Beckham's initial reaction after being traded:
Beckham: "It is hard to explain. I can't even put it into words. I was heading to dinner and I just remember seeing (Giants General Manager Dave) Gettleman calling. I knew something was going down. I picked up the phone and took the call. It was quiet for a minute at dinner. It just was a lot. I do not even know how else to describe it. It was just a lot, a lot of emotions and a lot of thoughts that run through your mind. Your whole life is changing. It is still the same in theory, but it is changing. I just took it to process. I called my mom, I called this man (WR Jarvis Landry) and here we are today."
On Beckham joining the Browns:
Beckham: "I feel like we spoke this into existence almost. [Landry] and I dreamed of this. This is something that we talked about at 17. 'I am going to live right down the street from you. We are going to be on the same team.' Everything. It is surreal."
On how good the group can be:
Mayfield: "You want me to get it (laughter)? First off, this is the most people we have had in this room ever(laughter)."
Landry: "By far."
Mayfield: "I am glad you guys showed up. It is something that needs to be set forth for our team mindset-wise is that everybody is going to say that we could be and should be Super Bowl contenders; yeah, we know that – every person that plays in the NFL should believe that – but I have always firmly believed that you always set your own expectations. Nobody else really matters. No offense to you guy, you can write all you want about what we have, but if we do not set goals for ourselves and believe in those and work for it, it does not really matter."
On Garrett processing where the team is now after going through an 0-16 season as a rookie:
Garrett: "Like (Head Coach) Freddie (Kitchens) said, we are good on paper. Everything looks good and everything looks tight on offense and on defense, but until we go out there and prove it, until we go out and win each and every day, it is just words right now, just thoughts."
On what helped Beckham 'come to grips' with the trade:
Beckham: "It is just life. It is such a sudden change. It is hard to explain. Of course, I have my guys here, but at the same time, you build a relationship with your teammates and those other guys on that team. That is really what is the hardest thing. I saw (Giants RB) Saquon (Barkley) and Shep (Giants WR Sterling Shepard) the other night, and we were all like... It is just different. It is really the guys in the locker room, the people that you go to war with, you wake up in training camp and you go through all of those things with. That is really what makes it so hard. Now, I get an opportunity to meet new guys and new friends. It is very exciting."
On why Beckham felt it was important to report today:
Beckham: "It is just the first day. I want to set the tone. I do not know exactly my offseason plans. I usually train in L.A., but I definitely want to be here and create that bond, that relationship with my new teammates, coaches and everybody so that they can kind of see who I am exactly. I just thought it was important to be here today. I knew that [Landry] was going to be here today and that [Mayfield] was going to be here today so I had to come see my guys."
On explaining how perceptions that Beckham is a 'me-first player' in some ways are incorrect:
Beckham: "It is just wrong. I do not know how else to explain it."
Mayfield: "He is here today. I think that shows that."
Beckham: "I see all the stuff that says that and everything. I think one of my biggest problems is that I care about it but I do not care at the same time because I know who I am. Nothing that is said about me is ever going to bother me because I know who I am. I just stick to that. I went to a school where we were running the ball like 60 plays out of 72, and we blocked every day in practice so my mentality was never 'me first.' Of course, we are receivers, we want to catch the ball and we want to score touchdowns, but I would tell [Landry], 'You get the post route. I will get the corner.' That is how we worked. It is something different, something different."
On Beckham being on the same unit as someone who plays with passion like Mayfield:
Beckham: "I have known this guy for a little bit of time, too. We have trained in L.A. We feel like we have talked about being here and it is here. It is hard for me to put into words being here today, but I am just thankful for the opportunity."
On if the thought of potentially playing for the Browns with Landry ever crossed Beckham's mind last season:
Beckham: "Of course. If I wanted to be anywhere else [other than with the New York Giants], it would be playing alongside of my brother. Like I said, since the day we met, we talked about, 'Hey, I am going to the same school as you. Where we going?' He had different offers. I did not have all of the same offers that he had, but it was like, 'Where are you going? I am going there.' I tell him all of the time, he made me who I am today. He has taken me to the level of this greatness, this legendary stuff that we talked about. It is because of him. There is no better place for me to be but here."
On Beckham Jr. joining the Browns:
Landry: "I did not know for sure if it was possible. I was hoping in the back of my mind that obviously it would be possible. I guess a couple of weeks ago the ball kind of got rolling on it. I kind of got the phone call maybe a little bit before everybody that the trade had went through. I cried. I called him. I talked to (General Manager) John (Dorsey). I cried with John (laughter). I cried with Freddie. I know for me, it is something that not only as a player but as a person that he is somebody that my life needs. It is more than an honor to take the field with him again."
On Beckham's first impressions of Kitchens:
Beckham: "I love him (laughter). Gave him a big hug. He told me he loved me (laughter). We just went from there. He is just straightforward. It is just authentic from what I can tell at the moment obviously. Only time will tell in every aspect of life. Just first impression, I am very excited. I just feel a different energy from when I stepped off the plane and then coming in here to see. It is love. That is something that we have based ourselves on our entire lives – it is love. You can definitely feel it when you walk in. I am looking forward to it."
On the potential of the team with the level of talent on the current roster:
Landry: "It is definitely there. Obviously, we see it as blatantly as everybody else does, but as Baker stated, and Myles and Freddie, it is obviously going to take a lot of hard work. In any season and every season, teams are going to face hard roads. Things are going to happen throughout the season, but we have to trust each other. We have to hold each other accountable. Down the road, I think the leadership that we have obviously, sitting up here but that is in the locker room that we have – (DB Damarious) Randall, (DL Larry) Ogunjobi, the list goes on and even the young leadership that we have – I think that those things, once they start stepping to the forefront for the rest of those hard times to get us through, I think we definitely could be successful. We definitely have to put the work in. It is not going to be handed to us."
On Mayfield's initial reaction to the trade for Beckham:
Mayfield: "As you can imagine, pretty excited. It was one of those things, like O said, it was one of those things that you cannot put into words to describe it correctly. I had two people at the house sitting there when I found out. I just started screaming (laughter). Just yelling like you would have thought I was on the field on gameday. Just excited. It is the potential. It is knowing exactly who he is and knowing what type of guy he is. He has played. His ability speaks for itself. The things that we have talked about all throughout last year – what we need, the types of guys we need in this locker room to go into the right direction – that is the best thing about that is he is a team guy. He is going to be a great presence for us in this locker room."
On how Mayfield will handle distributing the ball to all offensive skill players:
Mayfield: "They are team-oriented. They want to win. Probably will just close my eyes, throw it and hope that one of them catches it (laughter). I am not worried about that. They know that I am going to do my job. I hope that they trust in me to do that."
On if Mayfield spoke to Beckham about their potential connection, as well as the trade:
Mayfield: "I called him and talked to him. The thing that we kept saying was 'This can't be real.' I knew [the changing teams and relationships] part is difficult. I went through something somewhat similar, not even close to spending years in New York like he did, but spending a semester at Texas Tech with the football team and then having to leave. The fact that I was leaving those brothers that you have worked so hard with, that is the hard part. That just takes time. Once he is here, you know that all is going to take care of itself just with the locker room that we have."
On how Mayfield and Beckham initially established a relationship:
Mayfield: "(Giants WR) Sterling Shepard. I played with Sterling in college and then he did in New York."
On if Mayfield and Beckham hit it off with their friendship right away:
Landry: "Dancing."
Beckham: "Now I have somebody that is going to show me up dancing so I have to get my moves back right."
On being traded to the Browns and how the team has changed over the past few years, given its record two and three seasons ago:
Beckham: "At the end of the day, I am here. This is a different league. You do not get to pick where you go. I feel like there is no way God would have led me here to not be here for a reason. It makes sense. [Landry] came over here last year and I joked with him like, 'Come on.' Just messing with him. We never thought that we would be here. Like I said, I have watched this team from a far and talked about when they were 1-39 or whatever, and that how each year they were building. They were building. They were stacking players. Now it is like, it is finally here. I am excited to be a part of something like this, a team that has been ascending and kind of changing the culture. It started with [Landry and Mayfield] changing the culture into a winning culture. All we care about is winning. You talk about one ball. He might throw it to him, he might lateral it to me. It is a possibility. That is just how it is. As it all settled in, I am very excited for this, and I think it is going to be one of the best things that have ever happened to me in my life."
On Landry's pitch to Beckham about Cleveland following the trade:
Landry: "I shared some messages with O just about it was tough for me, too, making the transition. When you play in a place you have given your all to one place, it ends so quickly and sometimes without a say, but I know since the moment that I stepped up here and you guys were sitting here, too. I was smiling. I remember the first question you asked me was, 'Do you think it is going to be any different? We have had guys in here before.' I told you it will be. As the year went on, you guys lightened up a little bit (laughter). Something that I told O was that the love and the appreciation of everybody that works in this building from top to bottom is something that made me feel so comfortable – the way that it feels like family here. I told him that he would appreciate that. He would appreciate that he could come here and honestly just be himself and people would love him for that. That was my pitch. That was it."
On if Beckham has thought about how LeBron James became a superstar in Cleveland:
Beckham: "Yeah, but at the end of the day, I know where I am at in life. I do not need to be in New York. I do not need to be in LA. I could be in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. I have created this what I call a 'legacy.' It never really crossed my mind like 'I'm going to Cleveland' and worrying about marketing or worrying about any of that. I care about football. I care about winning. I didn't step into this game to be famous. That is just what fell into my lap. We (he and Landry) talk about 'legendary,' we talk about our legacies and we talk about gold jackets. That is our conversations. It never was about the money. It never was about any of that. It was about being a legend. I think this is our everyday lives. We do this every single day. We come here, you ask questions and we answer them, but I think this moment is going to be more iconic than we all realize right now. That is obviously what we want to be a part of. We want to look back in 10 years and be like, 'Man, I remember April 1, 2019. That was the start of something great.' I'm just happy to be a part of it."
On if being traded adds fuel to Beckham's fire:
Beckham: "(Nods head yes) That is all I can tell you."
On if he enjoyed playing in Cleveland with the NY Giants:
Beckham: "Yeah, I got a lot of love from the fans when I was here. That is what I asked [Landry] about. How was it? That is one thing we talked about – love. Just to see that kind of culture is different. It is just different. It is just different."
On Beckham being known for his top-level work ethic:
Mayfield: "Oh, he will get a run for his money in competitiveness and work ethic. That is the type of guy we are getting. That is why I say it's great for the locker room. The impact he can have as who he is as a person speaks much more than anything he will ever do on the field. That's the big difference when you bring in guys like that. That is why it is such a big deal to us, and that is why we are all excited and pumped up. That is important."
On what Kitchens needs to do to bring out the best in the Browns to start the season:
Mayfield: "I think Freddie needs to continue to be himself. Everything he stood for last year when he was our interim offensive coordinator was about being upfront, holding each other accountable, working hard, working for us and being just upfront about everything. I think just to set the tone with everybody, a lot of defensive guys haven't gotten the chance to be around him so being that same guy he was for us as an offense the second half of the year and being around those defensive guys, getting to know them, making sure they can trust him and just believe in what we are doing. We are not going to have it all figured out right now, but come September, we are going to be ready to go."
On Garrett's first impressions of defensive coordinator Steve Wilks:
Garrett: "I think he knows what he's talking about. I think he is going to put us all in a great position. I know he is fiery and he is passionate. I am not going to compare him to (NY Jets defensive coordinator) Gregg (Williams) because they are two different sides of the spectrum, but I know he is amped up. We are already going through plays, schemes and things we are going to do, footwork and how practice is going to go in individual. He is ready to get on it. It was like we never stopped. We are picking up where we left off last year like he was the coach here. I'm really excited to play for him."
On Kitchens referring to Beckham's enthusiasm and passion when asked about acquiring the WR rather than stats:
Beckham: "I think you are exactly right about that – numbers are nothing because I don't feel like I have put up my best numbers. People say numbers do not lie, but I think they do. What I want to bring to the team is the person you (NFL Network reporter Kim Jones) know. That is what I want to bring to this team. Energy is all I bring. I work hard. We (he and Landry) used to have practice where we were playing to play. If we did not get it right, if we did not like the throw, if we did not like the pass, run it back. We are going to do it again. You are getting a guy who is going to give you everything he has on Sundays and through the rest of the week, as well. I lay it all on the line every single time I go out there on Sundays."
On what insights Landry can provide on Beckham:
Landry: "He is a great person, first of all. Obviously, the player part of it, it takes care of itself. We all know that, and we all see it. His leadership, I know the competitive nature he has inside of him. It is different. It is very different. He is going to push myself, he is going to push the room and he is going to push a lot of guys on this team. He is going to push Baker, being one of the faster guys in the room. He is going to have to throw it out there a little farther (laughter). He is everything and more. He is everything and more. It is honestly an honor to have him back and have him in these colors. Ready to do something special."
On how Beckham's and Landry's relationship developed and if they have always discussed their legacies including the Lombardi Trophy and Pro Football Hall of Fame jackets:
Beckham: "This is my guy. This is everything I ever dreamed of and more. I am just really excited about the opportunity. I can't lie. I am looking at it, I feel it and I think this is the biggest blessing, especially, being able to be here for him. We used to call each other every single day, and I know this life gets hard. We go through our ups and downs, and I felt like I couldn't be there for him all the time, even if it was just by phone call. Now, I can really be there for him. I can be back in his life, and that is something I prayed for. Be careful what you wish for (laughter)."
On the excitement in Cleveland:
Beckham: "Honestly, I have seen it."
Mayfield: "You can tell by how many people are in this room. You guys didn't do this for us last year (laughter)."
Beckham: "I can feel the excitement. To be a part of that, it is exciting for me. You want to be around guys who want to win, you want to be around fans who want – I can't even put it into words. I am sorry. It is just a lot, and it is a lot for the city of Cleveland, I feel like. Like I said, it is a football town. I have heard it is a football town. I'm looking forward to finding out."
On reuniting with wide receivers coach Adam Henry:
Landry: "Obviously, I think the thing that makes Adam so special – we had are times together at LSU – but he was a part of the recruiting process for me in high school and things like that so he knows a lot about our lives inside and out. I would say there are things I guess you can call 'trigger points' that makes you reflect on the time that motivates us to go harder and do more. He knows all of it. Pretty much, he has the leash on the dogs and just let them go."
On if Mayfield's expectations changed when Beckham was acquired:
Mayfield: "Absolutely. My expectations were changing drastically. Absolutely not satisfied by how last year ended by any means. You start to realize what jump you want to make from Year 1 to Year 2, and for me, it is really important for people to realize that it's not just a fluke season. This is real. I want to improve. I am not satisfied with setting one record. I want to win Super Bowls. I want to do a lot more. That is why you combine that with guys like these guys that talk about legacy and leaving something behind them that they can be proud of and look back on. That is about setting your own expectations. Yeah, they keep increasing the more talent I have around me. That is going to make my job easier, but that means I'm going to have to work that much harder for it."
On reports Beckham wanted to restructure his contract in Cleveland:
Beckham: "I don't know about the contract. Honestly, it is not on my mind right now. I am here. I am present today. Just take it one day at a time. Whatever the plans are, those are the plans."
On Beckham's and Landry's one-handed catches:
Beckham: "[Landry] started this. This reason this all happened is because of him. We would sneak into the facility at midnight and shoot JUGS until 2 a.m. We would be like, 'Let's go outside and talk,' and we would go throw right outside our room, throwing the football back and forth and playing 20 or 21. Him throwing the ball as hard as he can at me and you just have to catch it. The worst throws possible, you have to catch it. All the one-handed catches came from him. He started it."
Landry: "Both of us. It was both of us."
On if the grouped talked about being Browns together last year:
Mayfield: "I absolutely hoped for that. I would not say that we talked about it too much. Thought about it. Throwing to him and just running routes on air and realizing all of the potential and the talent he has, it is unique. Not many are able to do it. Then you have to LSU Tigers next to each other, and that is a dangerous duo. It is going to be a lot of fun, but it is something you dream about."
On if Beckham will talk to James about Cleveland, give his appearance on The Shop:
Beckham: "Oh, yeah. I asked him if I could borrow his house, and he said it was too big for me (laughter). I am just trying to get my bearings straight and see what is what. This is his home. He will give you a little bit of advice here and there. He said, 'You are going to love it.' That is like my idol and the person I look up to the most. That is my guy. To see what he did to bring a championship here. I just want to be able to do that same thing."
