Odell Beckham Jr. has played in just 23 games over the past four seasons and he’s no longer viewed as a top-flight NFL receiver.
But the 33-year-old Beckham is glad to get another opportunity with the New York Giants, the franchise he excelled for in his first five NFL seasons from 2014-18.
“God has given me one more opportunity to play,” Beckham said after practicing with the Giants on Wednesday, two days after being signed by the club. “Whatever I do with that, is that. I’m not saying this is my only year, I’m not saying I’ve got five more for you. I’m looking at it like this is my opportunity now, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Beckham topped 1,000 receiving yards in four of his five seasons with the Giants and had 25 touchdown catches over his first three campaigns. He was a Pro Bowl selection in each of those years.
But a major ankle injury early in the 2017 season derailed his career and things disintegrated with New York the following season. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns and topped 1,000 yards in 2019, the last time he compiled more than 600 yards in a season. Since that time, he has bounced around to three other teams.
Now, he’s not guaranteed anything but a chance. He’s not the star of the team or even looked at as a starter. But if he displays his past form, the Giants provide an opportunity to get on the playing field and contribute.
“It has always been about proving it to myself,” Beckham said. “There’s always a little bit of you want to prove it to everybody else. Deep down inside to me, it was about proving to me, believing in me, believing in what God had given me and my abilities.
“I like it this way. I feel like it’s going to elevate me, it’s going to bring me up to have to earn it.”
Beckham played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 under John Harbaugh, who became Giants coach in January.
Beckham and Harbaugh held discussions earlier in the offseason and the Giants worked Beckham out in April but didn’t sign him. Harbaugh and Beckham continued discussions and the coach recently became convinced Beckham was in sufficient shape to play despite sitting out last season.
When Beckham performed well during a group receiver workout on Monday, the Giants were ready to pounce and signed him.
“I think the biggest thing is him being in really, really good shape,” Harbaugh said. “We talked about this, he would tell you this. You can’t be just OK. You’re Odell Beckham. You’ve got to come out here and you have to be performing at a high level in workouts, you’ve got to be performing at a high level in practice. You got to be a guy capable that we can see would have a chance to make a difference in NFL games. You have to be that kind of player.”
Coming full circle brings back the past for Beckham, who was known for explosive sideline tantrums and acrobatic catches during his first act in New York.
“At the end of the day, like I said, I never wanted to leave here,” Beckham said. “I just wanted us to have a better team, better people, better players. I sound like a Papa John’s commercial. I just wanted to be great. I care about it that much.
“As far as regrets, I’m kind of one of those people, for better or worse, never regret anything, because at one point in time it was exactly what you wanted. I don’t hang my hat on it. I learn from it.”
Beckham has 575 receptions for 7,987 yards and 59 touchdowns in 119 career games (97 starts) with five teams.
