Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. will always have a special place in his heart for the New York, considering he gave the team its only shine in his 5 years with the franchise. The superstar wide receiver was traded to Cleveland this offseason in a shocking move. Beckham sat down with GQ magazine for an interview, and had some interesting thoughts on his time with New York as well as the trade:
“I felt disrespected. Like, after everything I’ve done for them. This is me being honest: This team has not been good for the last six years…I felt like I was the main reason at keeping that brand alive. They were still getting prime-time games, still, as a 5-11 team. Why? Because people want to see the show. You want to see me play.”
The Odell Beckham Show, began in 2014 when the Giants drafted him 12th overall out of LSU. Beckham made his big splash in a Sunday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys, when he made “The Catch”, one-handed touchdown grab that broke the internet. But since that moment, it seems OBJ could not catch a break from the criticism. Critics constantly pointed out his quirky and emotional antics, such as kicking a field goal net on the sideline out of frustration, going on a boat the week leading up to his first playoff game or fighting then-Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman in a regular season game. It did not stop the Giants from giving Beckham a 5 year, $90 million contract last season, but that did not stop them from sending him to small market Cleveland to join the Browns’ loaded cast of up and coming talent.
This interview seems like it was the opportunity for Beckham to really speak his peace on the matter with a bit of closure. In one part of this article, he alluded that things were so bad for him, he prayed for some type of change. Yes, Beckham was an extremely gifted receiver, but there seemed to be too much for the team to overcome to get some success. From 2014-2018, NYG went 31-49, made the playoffs once, and saw the decline of their franchise signal-caller in Eli Manning. It didn’t help they had issues with their offensive line as well. If you were a Giants fan, Beckham had to be the bright spot amongst all the mess that was going on. However, it should be a realization that he is in a team-oriented business, so when a couple of components fall apart, nobody really wins. Beckham has landed on a squad that looks great on paper, but they’re coming off their own losing season as well and haven’t won in a long time. He will definitely have demonstrate some patience no matter how much of a show he puts on.