Getty One Giants' play caller offered a lukewarm response to rumors about OBJ.
Odell Beckham Jr. probably misses being a member of the New York Giants, at least according to one of the team’s play-callers. Beckham is still a free agent and still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in the 2022 Super Bowl, but the Giants are firmly in the mix to sign the 30-year-old.
Acquiring Beckham would boost a below-par wide receiver corps, but fourth-year safety Julian Love told the Tiki & Tierney show on WFAN Sports Radio the Giants “can’t bank on short-term success. We’ve got to still build for our future.”
While Love conceded the Giants bringing Beckham back is “an upstairs decision,” he also explained the lure of playing for Big Blue: “You really appreciate being in this Giants building after you’re not anymore.”
Julian Love with an interesting response to the OBJ sweepstakes…
The noise around a Beckham and Giants reunion is getting louder, with OBJ’s mentor calling it “tight” between the Giants and Dallas Cowboys, per Ian O’Connor of the New York Post.
Love is the latest player to speak on the possibility, after star running back Saquon Barkley endorsed Beckham getting a second act with the Giants.
Short-Term Fix Not a Bad Thing for Giants
Love’s point about Beckham being a short-term fix is well-taken. The veteran is 30 and has torn his ACL twice. It’s fair to say OBJ’s best years are behind him.
There’s also the not-so-small matter of the Giants dealing with minimal space under the salary cap. General manager Joe Schoen has just $4,185,975 worth of room to work with, according to Spotrac.com.
All of these factors mean any deal for Beckham is likely to be a short-term one, perhaps even the veteran’s minimum. Would it really be worth the Giants paying a pretty penny for a half-season rental?
Barkley thinks it would, based on his comments after Week 10’s 24-16 win over the Houston Texans, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News:
Barkley knows what kind of instant impact a healthy Beckham would have on a sluggish Giants passing game. Quarterback Daniel Jones is averaging a mere 6.7 yards per completion, a number that owes more to a lack of elite targets, than any problems with the signal-caller’s performances.
Schoen traded 2021 first-round pick Kadarius Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs, while Kenny Golladay continues to struggle just holding onto the football:
Kenny Golladay is the most hated man in New York
The Giants need a legitimate No. 1 receiver, and while it would be fiscally prudent to wait for the 2023 NFL draft to find one, Schoen’s team can’t waste this season’s opportunity. It’s the chance to build on a surprising 7-2 start and earn the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2016.
As O’Connor put it, “The Giants should sign Beckham because he makes them better, and because he might help them win a playoff game or two on the NFC side of the tournament draw that looks wide open.”
A spot in the postseason is an immediate goal and chasing it now needn’t stop Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll from safeguarding the Giants’ future.
Signing Love Among Big Decisions Looming for Giants
Safeguarding the future will involve making decisions about several key payers, including Barkley, Jones and Love. All three are pending free agents, with the latter increasing his value this season following the injury to Xavier McKinney.
Third-year star McKinney landed on injured reserve after surgery on his fingers to fix what the free safety called a “freak accident,” per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. McKinney’s absence has thrust Love into the key role as on-field play caller for the Giants’ defense.
Julian Love on calling plays for the defense
Full video: t.co/nzjlTGMg41
Love’s intelligence and versatility are what makes him so important to the Giants. Those things are why talks have already taken place between the front office and the safety’s agents about a new contract.
The team’s fourth-round draft pick in 2019 is exactly the kind of core player the Giants need to build around. So is nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, who’s out of contract in 2024 but is playing at a Pro Bowl level this season and is somebody fans want to see get a new deal.
Schoen faces a tricky balancing act. He can’t lose the key players who’ve made the Giants winners ahead of schedule, but nor can he pass up the chance to add a marquee talent who would help maintain the winning edge.
There has to be a way for the GM to swing terms for Beckham, without risking the foundational pieces for a better future.