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Getty Free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr.
On Tuesday, November 9th, Odell Beckham Jr. was officially freed. Clearing waivers, the three-time Pro Bowler is now free to sign with any team of his choosing. Early rumors indicate the Green Bay Packers are the apple of Beckham’s eye. According to The Athletic, the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks (via Pro Football Talk) and New Orleans Saints also appear to be in the mix.
Former first-team All-Pro Darius Slay would like to toss another hat into that ring.
The Philadelphia Eagles cornerback took to Twitter on Tuesday in an attempt to lure Beckham to Philly. His main selling point? As Jaclyn Hendricks of the New York Post dubbed it, “old-fashioned NFC East revenge.”
“Aye @obj we haven’t played the Giants yet this year,” Slay tweeted. “Just saying!!!”
Currently, in the midst of their bye week, the Giants will return to action in Week 11 against the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From there, they’ll host the Eagles in MetLife for a divisional showdown in Week 12. The two foes will once again meet up in Week 16 when the G-Men travel to Philadelphia.
The Chances of Beckham Heading to Philly
While returning to his old stomping grounds twice a year could certainly be a selling point for Beckham, it’s hard to envision the 29-year-old wilfully signing up for the Eagles’ current situation under center — not when Beckham has the pick of the litter at his disposal when it comes to the quarterback position and the opportunity to potentially catch passes from the likes of Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson.
While Jalen Hurts may be a superb fantasy football play and an exhilarating runner, he currently boasts the league’s 28th ranked completion percentage (61.5%). After a two-and-half-year run in Cleveland where Beckham saw his star drastically fall, the chances of him attaching his future career success — and in return, earnings — to Hurt’s coattails seems unlikely.
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Beckham’s Rocky Exit from New York
Beckham, of course, spent the first five years of his career in East Rutherford carving out what appeared to be the makings of a Hall of Fame-worthy career. He became the first player in league history to record at least 90 receptions, 1,300 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in each of their first three years. Following an injury-plagued 2017 campaign, he notched yet another 1,000-plus yard season under his belt in 2018 before unceremoniously being traded to the Browns the next offseason.
The Giants inked Beckham to a lucrative five-year, $90 million contract extension in 2018. However, the financial commitment never seemed to add security to the wideout’s placement within the franchise. General manager Dave Gettleman repeatedly noted that the team “didn’t sign him [Beckham] to trade him.”
Of course, this proved not to be the case.
There was a slight rumbling when Beckham was initially released by the Browns that the Giants could entertain the idea of an OBJ reunion. However, that chatter quickly fizzled out. Despite numerous injuries to the receiver group, head coach Joe Judge essentially slammed the door shut on re-adding Beckham into the fold, while numerous higher-ups within the Giants franchise continue to look back on the Beckham era with disdain.
“While he does still have supports and friends in the Giants organization, there are a lot of people that remember the Beckham experience from a few years ago and are just not eager to relive it,” SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano said. “It was a very, very bumpy ride and in the end not worth it at all to them and not worth it at all for them to bring him back even though they need receiving help right now.”
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Giants Rival Recruiting Odell Beckham: ‘Old-Fashioned NFC East Revenge’