Why the New York Giants should be aggressive in attempting to sign Odell Beckham Jr.

Sep 11, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. (13) before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants have a meeting scheduled with free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Thursday morning. This will be the first visit on Odell’s itinerary before he travels to meet with the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, and potentially a few other teams (per Art Stapleton). OBJ is, of course, a familiar face for Big Blue as the now thirty-year-old receiver began his career in New York, shattering receiving records as a member of the Giants during his first few seasons in the league.

Now, over three years and two teams later, Odell could have a reunion with the New York Giants in store. The Giants are in need of receiving talent and should be aggressive in attempting to sign Odell Beckham Jr. as they prepare to play meaningful football in December for the first time in years.

Why the Giants should be aggressive in attempting to sign Odell Beckham Jr.

Something is missing from the New York Giants’ offense. The Giants have endured a long slew of injuries this season, seeing numerous receivers sidelined with season-ending injuries, such as Sterling Shepard and Wan’Dale Robinson. Now, shorthanded at the position, Big Blue is in the market to add a reinforcement by the way of Odell Beckham Jr.

Odell Beckham Jr. is coming off of an ACL tear that he suffered in Super Bowl LVI. The veteran receiver has been a free agent all season long as he recovers and is finally cleared to return to the field. Teams are lining up for the chance to acquire Odell’s talents as he is the clear-cut best free-agent wide receiver available. In fact, taking a look ahead to the 2023 free agency market, Odell is the best free agent wide receiver that will be available for quite some time.

The Giants need to add talent to their offense. Not only does Big Blue need some reinforcements to prepare for the home stretch of this season, but they need to upgrade at wide receiver this offseason to prepare for the 2023 season. Making that upgrade will be difficult, however, as the list of options available this offseason severely lacks luster. Jakobi Meyers, Juju Smith-Schuster, the Giants’ own Darius Slayton, and DJ Chark top PFF’s list of top 2023 free-agent wide receivers.

“I want to try to keep him here, yeah. That’s the plan.”

Sterling Shepard on whether or not he will let Odell Beckham Jr. leave the building following his visit with the New York Giants on Thursday, via Pat Leonard

Not much talent is expected to hit the open market this offseason. Signing Odell Beckham Jr. would not only give the Giants the best free-agent wide receiver on the current market, but it would also give them the ability to lock in the best free-agent wide receiver on the future market, too. Odell is the clear-cut top talent in the 2023 pool of free-agent wide receivers. The Giants could look to sign Beckham to a multi-year deal before this season’s end or look to extend him in the offseason pending a solid finish to the year.

Odell Beckham Jr. may not be the player he once was, but he is still a solid talent that will serve as an upgrade to the Giants’ offense. Beckham closed the 2021 season strong, scoring 5 touchdowns in 8 games played for the Los Angeles Rams along with 27 receptions for 305 yards. OBJ proved he still had plenty left in the tank with the Rams and continued to play well into the postseason.

Odell scored two touchdowns in the playoffs, including one in the Super Bowl. Beckham was in rare form during the 2023 postseason, totaling 25 receptions for 316 yards and 2 touchdown grabs. His best performance came against the 49ers in the NFC Conference Championship game where he hauled in 9 receptions on 11 targets for 113 yards.

The New York Giants do not have a wide receiver currently on their roster with the ability to string together high-quality performances like the ones Odell Beckham Jr. put together to close out the 2021-2022 season. OBJ is also a clutch playoff performer, which is exactly what Big Blue needs heading into December.

Many believe the likely landing spot for Odell Beckham is the Dallas Cowboys. But the New York Giants need this upgrade far more than Dallas and need to be aggressive in their pursuit of Odell in order to keep him from becoming a Cowboy. Odell Beckham Jr. would have a massive impact on the New York Giants’ offense and the team would be wise to aggressively pursue him and attempt to sign him after concluding his visit with the team on Thursday morning.

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