Odell Beckham Jr. Admits He Wanted To Stay With Giants Despite Sour Split
OBJ does some reflecting on his Giants tenure.
Odell Beckham Jr.'s journey to stardom began with the New York Giants, where he put unforgettable moments to tape, including the iconic one-handed catch against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football — hailed as one of the greatest catches in NFL history.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. played his first five NFL seasons with the Giants. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Yet, his tenure with the Giants ended in a bitter split when he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2019, gradually fading from the spotlight.
Despite signing a five-year, $90 million contract extension in 2018, Beckham's relationship with the Giants soured due to a mix of ego clashes and injury concerns.
Former general manager Dave Gettleman orchestrated the trade after Beckham's five seasons with the team.
The wide receiver's frustrations, stemming from the Giants' struggles, added tension.
"The reason you heard me talking about what was going on was because I was pissed because, where I come from in college, if we lost one game, our season was over," Beckham said during Saturday's Champions League Final broadcast on Paramount Plus.
OBJ insisted he never wanted to leave the franchise that drafted him.
OBJ says he never wanted to leave New York. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
"I never, ever wanted to leave the New York Giants," he said. "This was the organization I got drafted to. They believed in me. So if the Giants went and won a Super Bowl, I would be happy. But deep down inside, I wanted to be the one. No question. So it's definitely you'll always hold that. But then someone like me, I went to the L.A. Rams, won a Super Bowl. But still, you just want that."
Beckham posted a 1,000-yard receiving season in his debut year with the Browns and later bounced between five teams, ultimately winning a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2021.
Though Beckham found glory elsewhere, his trade from New York surely stuck with the 32-year-old free agent.
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