3 minSports
Odell Beckham Jr. Criticizes Giants After Brief Return Ends in Release
Odell Beckham Jr. signed a one-year, $1.3 million veterans salary benefit deal with the New York Giants, was active for three games without a catch, and was released on Sept. 29. He later said on Instagram that he should have known better and that the team gave him the runaround.
Odell Beckham Jr. has publicly criticized the New York Giants over his short-lived return to the team, saying he should have known better than to trust the organization. The wide receiver was released on Sept. 29 after signing a one-year veterans salary benefit deal worth $1.3 million, a contract that carried no guaranteed money and allowed the team to pay him less than the veteran minimum.
Beckham, 33, originally played for the Giants from 2014 to 2018 and was once a star in New York. His return was framed as a warm homecoming, and he said at the time that he never wanted to leave and was happy to be back. He did not even ask for his old jersey number. But the reunion lasted only a few weeks. He was active for three games but caught zero passes on just one target.
In replies to a fan's Instagram post on Saturday, Beckham agreed with the premise that the Giants used him and paid him minimally in return. «I'm super smart!!!! But I didn't see this one, my brotha,» he wrote. «They got me!!!» He added that he came in humbly, took a veteran minimum deal, earned his spot, and did not complain about money. «Ima tell u this ima grown man and this [sh-t] didn't hurt me but it did when they cut me like that cause part of me is like I shoulda known better.»
Beckham also said the release hurt him deeply because of how it affected his son. «Now let me [tell] u the [real] deal truth [that] hurt my heart to the core is [coming] home and seeing my son and how happy he was with no idea of what happened and talkin' [about] my job [and] jersey number 13 broke me [the f–k] down,» he wrote. He accused the Giants of giving him «the run along,» meaning the team kept him on the roster through training camp, the preseason, and most of September, preventing him from pursuing opportunities with other teams. «[I don't know] why they even gave me the run along. I [could have] really been playing this year somewhere and making [an] impact and I mean that from a person whose humbled by God and life.»
The decision to speak out could carry consequences. Releasing a player is not necessarily permanent, and the Giants could consider bringing Beckham back if injuries hit their receiving corps. But teams are generally reluctant to re-sign players who have publicly criticized them, and Beckham's comments may have closed that door.
Beckham's brief second stint in New York was more notable for the press attention than for anything he did on the field. He finished his return with no catches and one target, and his release came less than a month after he signed. The Giants have not publicly responded to his remarks.
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