CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns have inquired about former Bucs All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, a league source told cleveland.com, and Odell Beckham Jr. has already endorsed him.

Now that McCoy has been released by the Bucs, as first reported Monday by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Browns are interested in possibly signing him.

When he was still under contract at $13 million a year for 2019, the Browns weren’t interested in trading for him, a league source told cleveland.com. But now that they can negotiate the terms of the deal, the Browns are at least exploring the possibility.

They won’t get any argument from their star receiver Beckham, who’s run into McCoy at the Pro Bowl multiple times. McCoy is a six-time Pro Bowler and Beckham a three-timer.

It looks as if former Bucs’ DT Gerald McCoy already is wanted in Cleveland..... pic.twitter.com/tpZWEPcWuW — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 21, 2019

McCoy, the No. 3 overall pick in 2010 out of Oklahoma, will probably also get a thumbs-up from his fellow former Sooner Baker Mayfield.

McCoy, who’s never made the playoffs, wants to play for a contender, and the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots are interested, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

He’s exactly the kind of player Patriots coach Bill Belichick loves to acquire — a veteran Pro Bowler who can play a key role and comes at the right price. It’s a major reason the Patriots have been perennial contenders without high draft picks.

But the Browns would be an attractive landing spot for McCoy as well because of all the new talent, including across the defensive line where the Browns have added end Olivier Vernon and tackle Sheldon Richardson. They also have Pro Bowl pass-rusher Myles Garrett gearing up for another big season with an upgraded supporting cast.

McCoy, who’s had at least five sacks in his last seven seasons, would likely land an immediate starting job inside next to either Richardson or Larry Ogunjobi.

He’ll have other suitors too, and teams could possibly get into a bidding war.

The Browns have a little less than $14 million in cap space, fourth most in the NFL according to spotrac.com, and $33 million for the top 51 contracts, according to the site. The Patriots, who are near the bottom of the NFL in cap space, would have to clear some room.

It will also come down to where McCoy wants to play, and where he feels he has the best chance to make the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons. That’s where fellow Pro Bowlers such as Beckham will come in handy. If Cleveland is good enough for the superstar receiver, perhaps it will be good enough for a three-time first-team All-Pro like McCoy.

Since 2010, McCoy has recorded 54.5 sacks, 296 tackles, 79 for a loss and 140 quarterback hits. His sack totals rank fourth in the NFL among defensive tackles since 2010.

The writing was on the wall that McCoy, 31, wasn’t long for the Bucs, at least not at $13 million a year at the NFL Annual Meetings in March.

“He’s not as disruptive as he was four years ago,’’ new Bucs coach Bruce Arians said at the annual coaches’ breakfast there. “He’s still a good player. If he’s here, he’s our starting three [technique]. No doubt about that."

He added, "Is the price, the productivity the same? We’ve got to find that out.''

McCoy took to Instagram on May 5 to to respond to the criticism saying in a video, “Cinco de Mayo, everybody out. Probably getting ready to go drink. Probably drinking right now. Don’t matter,” McCoy said in the video. “They want to question me? This is what I do on Cinco de Mayo. I work. I work.

“Oh, and, I’ve got my kids with me. How many people doing that? All-Pro on and off the field. Want to question me, the heck? ‘Is he going to be ready? Does he love football?’ What? Y’all crazy. Lost y’all mind. I work. Don’t you ever question me."