Odell Beckham Jr.’s time with the New York Giants ended when they traded the wide receiver to the Cleveland Browns during the 2019 offseason. He had signed a lucrative contract extension with the Giants the year before, so he likely did not want to leave New York at the time.
He certainly did not want to go to Cleveland, which he admitted to in blunt terms years later. Now, it looks like Beckham is going back to where it all started.
According to NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo, the former Browns wide receiver has signed with the Giants, the team that selected him with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
“Reunion time in East Rutherford: The Giants are signing WR Odell Beckham Jr. after this morning’s workout, sources tell me and [Ian Rapoport]. Beckham’s second audition for Big Blue results in a signing and his return to the organization almost 8 years after he was traded away,” Garafolo posted.
Reunion time in East Rutherford: The #Giants are signing WR Odell Beckham Jr. after this morning’s workout, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
Beckham’s second audition for Big Blue results in a signing and his return to the organization almost 8 years after he was traded away. pic.twitter.com/obRlBQrl5i
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 1, 2026
The Giants were willing to part with Beckham seven years ago because they reportedly were tired of the off-field drama and controversies connected to him. Despite the five-year, $95 million extension they had given him, the franchise decided to pivot and build for the future instead.
Meanwhile, with Beckham having posted 1,000-yard seasons in his four healthy NFL campaigns, the Browns were looking to acquire a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver for quarterback Baker Mayfield. They sent safety Jabril Peppers, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, and a third-round pick to New York in the trade.
Everything went according to plan on the field in that first season, with Beckham posting 1,035 receiving yards on 74 receptions from 133 targets. However, the next year, Beckham tore his ACL, and he has not been close to the same player since.
After his father’s public criticism of Mayfield, which included a lengthy social media video, the Browns waived Beckham during the 2021 season. He was claimed by the Los Angeles Rams and may have been on his way to winning MVP of Super Bowl LVI before tearing his ACL in the first half.
He sat out the entire 2022 season and then played for new Giants head coach John Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. Beckham landed with the Miami Dolphins in 2024 before sitting out all of last season, dealing with a lack of interested teams and an NFL suspension.
Now, he will likely finish his career where it started, playing for a coach he is familiar with.
NEXT: Breaking: Myles Garrett Traded To Rams
