The New York Giants are still weighing their options at the wide receiver position, especially with a weak free agency class in 2023. Odell Beckham Jr. remains on the market but is unlikely to make an impact until the postseason — the Giants are quickly falling out a favor.
Having lost two of their last three games and dealing with a myriad of different injuries, the Giants need to secure a few wins down the stretch to guarantee their chances at competitive football, but signing OBJ wouldn’t be about the 2022 season, it would be about the future and providing whoever plays quarterback with weapons.
- Giants’ Joe Schoen drops draft nuggets, Darren Waller and Darius Slayton insight, needs at quarterback
- Could the Giants package their disgruntled wide receiver in a trade to move up the draft order?
- Giants could snag under-the-rader tight end in the mid-rounds
The New York Giants know Odell Beckham Jr. is interested:
Beckham has vocalized his desire to join the Giants and wrap up some unfinished business, especially with Saquon Barkley still on the roster and likely to be retained for the 2023 season and beyond. If that is the case, OBJ returning seems more likely, but the Dallas Cowboys have made a significant push to secure his services.
Despite Dallas’s best efforts, reports have indicated that Beckham‘s knee is not in playing shape just yet, as he requires weeks of rehabilitation before he can be trusted on a football field. That may have rubbed the veteran receiver the wrong way, but the Giants likely wouldn’t incorporate him into their offense until late in the season, if not the playoffs, so it seems to be more about money and playoffs than anything else.
However, it was nice to hear that OBJ would love to rejoin Saquon in New York, and if Sterling Shepard stays with the Giants next year as well, he will reunite with several good friends.
“I’ll say this, but it doesn’t mean anything,” Beckham said on “TNF in The Shop. “I don’t feel like Saquon Barkley and I got to do what we were supposed to do.”
If general manager Joe Schoen is willing to give OBJ a multi-year contract, he will have the stability he’s looking for. However, the Giants are in the middle of a rebuild, and realistically competing for a championship might be an optimistic take.
“I would like to be in a stable environment. Get up 6am, leave at 6pm for four weeks, and then let’s talk about it. I’ve played football for a long time,” Beckham said. “I’m not saying that I couldn’t step in and play regular season, but I don’t see the point. I really don’t. Like I would rather play when that pressure’s on. I would rather play when the lights is on. Like I went through the whole playoffs and I was… after having my first bad playoff experience, like, all I was ready for was to clear that off of my name.”
Based on this quote, Beckham would prefer to sit out until he’s needed in the playoffs, which the Giants are currently trending down for. Again, for Schoen, signing OBJ is about next year and not making a deep postseason run this season, which could put the Giants on the back burner.