Getty Not every member of the Giants is convinced signing Beckham is a good idea.
Bringing Odell Beckham Jr. back to MetLife Stadium would win favor with most players for the New York Giants. Key members of the roster like running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver Sterling Shepard, both close friends of Beckham’s, have already expressed a desire to see the 30-year-old Super Bowl winner join the locker room again.
Not everybody is all in on a Giants and OBJ reunion, though. One key starter on Big Blue’s defense has sounded a note of caution over the team’s plan to offer the 30-year-old free agent a contract.
This important member of the secondary has warned front office brass against making any move that might become a “distraction” for a rebuilding squad developing a new team spirit.
Giants Warned to Avoid “Distraction”
Julian Love spoke to Pat Leonard on an edition of the New York Daily News reporter’s Talkin’ Ball podcast, and naturally the possibility of Beckham returning came up. Love gave a telling answer:
Interesting Odell Beckham Jr. perspective from Giants captain Julian Love on Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard:
“I can see the pros & cons to it.” OBJ a “good player” but Giants have to consider if it would create a “distraction”
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Key phrases also included Love saying “I just don’t want anything, who we bring in, to be a distraction, ever. The fourth-year safety explained that Beckham “might’ve been a fit four years ago, whenever he was here last, we’ll see. It’s a whole new roster.”
That last phrase may be the most important consideration for the Giants, who are in a three-way race to acquire Beckham, along with the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.
The Giants are also in the first year of an ambitious and welcome rebuilding phase. General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have created optimism thanks to smart drafting, a prudent approach to free agency and fostering a more collective culture among the playing staff.
Beckham, even though he left the Giants in 2019, is still synonymous with a lot of the things this regime is trying to change for the better.
Giants Can’t Ignore Beckham’s Checkered Past
Things have looked better for a team that’s defied expectations with a 7-4-1 record. It’s been a far cry from the malaise and friction common when Dave Gettleman and Joe Judge were in charge.
It was Gettleman who traded Beckham to the Cleveland Browns in 2019. While it’s easy to criticize the decision with the benefit of hindsight — the Giants haven’t had another wide receiver as dynamic as OBJ since — it would also be unfair to pretend there wasn’t a reason the team wanted to part ways with the controversial playmaker.
Beckham was never far from controversy during his first tour with the Giants. The Athletic’s Charlotte Carroll charted some of the more notorious incidents in his career, including the infamous 2018 interview with ESPN during which Beckham chided then-Giants quarterback and should-be-hall-of-famer Eli Manning.
Carroll also noted how “Beckham’s tenure with the Browns ended acrimoniously when he was released just after the trade deadline. That came just days after Odell Beckham Sr. posted a video on Instagram of Baker Mayfield not throwing to Beckham Jr. when he was open.”
This is the kind of drama the Giants don’t need. Not when a healthier team spirit has powered their better-than-expected season as much as coaching and talent.
Team spirit is a vital yet fragile thing. It’s not always easy to predict what will upset the vibe. How about if Beckham joined the team and began publicly lobbying for Barkley to get a lucrative contract ahead of fellow free agent quarterback Daniel Jones next offseason?
Locker rooms have been divided over less, and the “extremely close” relationship between Beckham, Barkley and Shepard could become a sticking point for other members of the roster:
Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard remain extremely close friends with free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr., who visits #Giants this week. Both said they spoke with OBJ as recently as yesterday. Shepard said Beckham told him he’ll be coming over to his house one of the next few days.
There’s no guarantee Beckham would be a distraction. It’s only fair to point out he repaired a lot of the damage done to his on-field persona by playing a key role in the Los Angeles Rams winning Super Bowl LVI.
Yet it’s also true most players behave themselves when they’re on winning teams with a legitimate chance to lift a Lombardi Trophy. How Beckham might react to another rebuilding year with the Giants and a few errant throws from Jones has to be a concern for Schoen and Daboll.
So should the cautious line adopted by a player like Love. He isn’t an upstart who hasn’t yet earned the right to speak on team affairs. Instead, the Giants’ fourth-round pick in 2019 is a respected competitor who has been an ever-present this season.
Listening to a voice like his is the best way for the front office and coaches to gauge the true receptiveness of a close-knit roster to welcoming Beckham into the fold.