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NY Giants never should have traded Odell Beckham Jr.

By Danny Friedman

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 30: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Odell Beckham #13 of the New York Giants in action against the New Orleans Saints on September 30, 2018 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Saints defeated the Giants 33-18. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 30: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Odell Beckham #13 of the New York Giants in action against the New Orleans Saints on September 30, 2018 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Saints defeated the Giants 33-18. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OHIO – OCTOBER 25: Odell Beckham Jr. #13 of the Cleveland Browns walks off the field in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO – OCTOBER 25: Odell Beckham Jr. #13 of the Cleveland Browns walks off the field in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Neither team has gotten back the returns they desired.

Looking back, both teams probably wish they have seen better results from this trade.

The Giants are still reeling without Odell and they have two more consecutive losing seasons on top of the last two years with Odell to make it four losing seasons in a row. The offense has struggled mightily in Odell’s absence and the unit was completely broken in 2020.

Kevin Zeitler has been a solid player for the Giants, but his play hasn’t made a difference in the Giants’ broken offensive line unit. Zeitler is now turning 31 and he has a $14.5 million cap hit. It has been reported the Giants will try to trade Zeitler or release him if they can’t find any suitors. The latter seems like the likely option as no team will want to take on such a big cap hit for an aging interior lineman.

On defense, the Giants have seen more mixed results with their assets from the Odell Beckham trade. Dexter Lawrence has been a nice player on the line and looks to be a productive player for years to come. As good as he has been, his forte is run-stopping and the team passed up using the pick on EDGE rushers or sack artists. The Giants failed to adequately replace Olivier Vernon and it has shown with an inconsistent pass rush the last two seasons.

Oshane Ximines has shown more promise than results with his tantalizing potential never yielding more positive results on the field. He looks like the part of a speedy, well-stocked EDGE rusher in the mold of former Giants’ pass rushers. However, Ximines was only a part-time player in his rookie season and tore his rotator cuff after five games to end his season. He needs to have a huge year to prove he can hang around in New York and that he’s lived up to his part in this trade.

Lastly, Jabrill Peppers has been the Giants’ most impactful player from the Odell trade.

Jabrill struggled a bit in 2019 with a complicated scheme in James Bettcher’s defense. He thrived in Patrick Graham’s new-look defense in 2020 and blossomed in a different role, making plays all over the field. Jabrill was a team captain in 2020 and had the best season of his career. Heading into 2021, Peppers’ role with the team is a bit uncertain as they now carry three safeties in Logan Ryan, Xavier McKinney, and Peppers.

The team already signed Logan Ryan to a three-year deal during the season and McKinney was the team’s 2020 2nd round pick. Ryan and McKinney were brought in by Joe Judge and the new coaching staff and with Peppers 5th year option waiting in the wings, he may be a sleeper trade or cut candidate in 2021 while due $6.7 million.

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