CLEVELAND, Ohio — With OTAs underway, Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t given up hope.
The former Browns receiver continues to work toward an NFL comeback and wants to reunite with the Giants, who drafted him in 2014.
Beckham thinks fondly of his five seasons in New York.
“It’s a place I never wanted to leave,“ Beckham told the New York Post on Saturday. “And it’s just a special place in my heart just to see all these Big Blue jerseys. Just hoping for the best.”
The first wind of news regarding Beckham’s preference to rejoin New York came in late April, when the Giants brought him in for a workout and physical, per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
Beckham had even met with Giants ownership and new coach John Harbaugh weeks prior, during the NFL’s annual meetings to express his desire to return to the league, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.
“God has a place of special purpose and journey for me, and just being able to spend that time away, just made me realize some things,” Beckham said on Saturday. “I left some things unfinished, so hopefully we’ll see what he’s got working out.”
In early May, Harbaugh addressed the possibility of signing Beckham, leaving things open-ended.
“It’s got to be right for both parties,” Harbaugh said. “Odell wants to be the kind of player that can make a difference. I’m pretty sure that he can make a team in the National Football League right now. But can he make a difference?”
The Giants drafted Beckham No. 12 overall in 2014, and he quickly made his mark from a pop-culture standpoint.
Beckham hit the field with the blonde mohawk, the dance moves, and highlight-reel worthy catches, including his infamous one-handed catch.
He earned most of his NFL accolades during his five seasons with New York, including two second-team All Pro nods and three Pro Bowl selections.
He was subsequently traded to Cleveland in 2019.
His two-and-a-half seasons there were marked by a torn ACL in 2020 and friction over his role in the offense, which led to him being waived in November 2021.
The Rams picked up Beckham ahead of their playoff run, and he scored the game’s first touchdown during their Super Bowl LVI win over Cincinnati.
However, Beckham also tore his ACL in the big game and wasn’t re-signed, leading him to sit out the entire 2022 season.
Since then, he’s spent the 2023 season with Baltimore and the 2024 season with Miami, before being waived late in 2024.
Despite not belonging to a team in 2025, Beckham received a six-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, per NFL.com.
