Getty Could the New York Giants' selection of Kayvon Thibodeaux open the door for an Odell Beckham Jr. return?
Odell Beckham Jr. doesn’t have a team at the moment, but he’s at least following what the New York Giants have done in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The former Giants wide receiver, who won Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams last February, has been sharing some of his thoughts on Twitter during the draft. After the Giants picked edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux out of Oregon with the fifth-overall pick, Art Stapleton of The Record made a bold prediction that elicited a response from OBJ.
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Here’s Stapleton’s original tweet:
“After seeing this video, I’m convinced that @obj will ultimately come back to the Giants at some point before his career ends because we won’t be talking about how big his personality is,” Stapleton wrote.
Beckham, who is currently a free agent, did not comment on Stapleton’s prediction but did share his thoughts on the Thibodeaux selection.
@art_stapleton They got tht one right!!! I think buddy’s the real deal no?
“They got tht one right!!! I think buddy’s the real deal no?” Beckham tweeted.
Sounds like Beckham liked the pick, which is interesting because it was the first one made by new Giants general manager Joe Schoen. From there, the Twitter thread turned into thinly veiled shots at former general manager Dave Gettleman, who traded Beckham away to the Browns back in 2019.
@art_stapleton Woahhhh big personalities welcome that’s a first!
“Woahhhh big personalities welcome that’s a first!” Beckham tweeted in a response to Stapleton commenting on Thibodeaux’s self-described gregariousness.
If that shot at Gettleman wasn’t clear enough, the next one was right on the nose.
@TheClemReport @art_stapleton Wait are u sayin gettttleman wasn’t a good Gm??? Just for the record 😭😭😭 👂
“Wait are u sayin gettttleman wasn’t a good Gm??? Just for the record 😭😭😭👂” Beckham wrote in response to a Barstool employee who jumped in the Twitter thread.
Gettleman served as Giants GM from 2018-2021. His teams compiled a 19-46 record over that span and made zero playoff appearances. After trading away Beckham, his most notable moves as GM were drafting running back Saquon Barkley second overall in 2018 and drafting quarterback Daniel Jones sixth overall in 2019.
Would Joe Schoen Bring Back Odell Beckham Jr.?
While Gettleman was the general manager who traded Beckham to the Browns, he was not the GM who drafted him. Jerry Reese, Ernie Accorsi’s hand-picked successor, was still the GM when the Giants selected Beckham with the 12th-overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
A lot of Giants fans would like to see OBJ make a return to New York, now that Gettleman is gone. Before his premature departure from the organization, Beckham was chasing only Amani Toomer for most receiving yards in franchise history. He still ranks fourth in receptions (390), second in receiving yards (5,476) and fourth in receiving touchdowns (44). He accomplished all that while playing in just 59 games for the Giants.
If he does make a return to the Giants, Beckham may not be the same player he was during his first stint with the team. He had four 1,000-yard seasons in five years with the Giants and has only recorded one since then (2019 with the Browns). He’s also suffered multiple knee injuries, including a torn ACL suffered during the Super Bowl.
Giants Love Big Personalities And Big Bodies
While the selection of Thibodeaux may signal a shift in team culture that could one day lead to Beckham’s return, the new-look Giants aren’t just into big personalities — they’re also into big bodies.
Just look at their other first-round pick, offensive tackle Evan Neal out of Alabama (7th overall selection), via Pat Leonard of The New York Daily News:
Evan Neal is not small #Giants
Acquiring personalities and big bodies could be a winning formula for Schoen and the Giants.
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Giants Reporter Predicts OBJ Return, Beckham Responds