Odell Beckham spent his first five seasons with the Giants. He insists he never wanted to leave, but in the 2019 offseason, the Giants sent him to the Browns in a blockbuster trade.
Eight years and three other teams later, Beckham has returned to where it all started when the Giants used a first-round pick on him.
Beckham called being back with the Giants, with whom he signed a free agent deal this week, “a pretty surreal feeling.”
“Just the way that I had to walk away, it was just unsettling in my soul, in my spirit,’’ Beckham said, via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “It’s not who I am. I’ve never surrendered or quit or felt like I’ve given up on myself or anything. It just wasn’t sitting with me well.’’
Beckham expressed gratitude to co-owner John Mara and the organization for giving him another opportunity. Beckham has not played an NFL game since Dec. 8, 2024, with the Dolphins, as he sat out the 2025 season.
He has played only 23 games over the past four seasons.
“This family brought me in; they gave me my first opportunity,” Beckham said. “Something I’ll forever be grateful for. So many amazing memories. My life was here. I never thought I’d be anywhere else. To even have the opportunity to put a jersey and a helmet back on – I actually left one of my helmets here, it had dust on it. — it was good to see.
“But yeah, I want to do it for that family, for this building, for Giants Nation. This is my squad. It’s just going to come with everyday work, being the best me I can be.”
Beckham is 33, hasn’t made a Pro Bowl since 2016 and hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2019. This is likely his last chance, even if he’s not looking at it like that.
“I look at it like this: God has given me one more opportunity to play,” Beckham said. “Whatever I do with that is that. I’m not saying this is my only year and I’m not saying that I’ve got five more for you. I’m just looking at it like this is my opportunity now. We’ll see where it goes from there.”
