NY Giants never should have traded Odell Beckham Jr.

Conclusion

To wrap everything up, it’s hard to argue either team won this trade.

After two years, it’s still unclear how many of the players involved will live up to their expectations in their role on the team. So far, none of the players have fully confirmed that either team was better off staying as is with Odell staying in New York and Peppers/Zeitler and the draft picks belonging to the Browns.

The Giants haven’t gotten any better without Odell.

The offense has regressed in his absence and it is sorely missing a home run hitter at receiver. The Giants’ replacement plan at receiver also completely failed. The day after trading Odell, they signed Golden Tate to an undeserving $37 million contract. The complaints with Odell were that he was selfish, a distraction, and that the Giants didn’t need him. Not only were these things false about Odell in New York, but Golden Tate epitomized these things above. He was a distraction as he was suspended by the NFL four games for PEDs, he was selfish for causing a scene on ESPN and Monday Night Football, he was subsequently suspended again by the team, and then made little impact all season proving that the team didn’t need him in 2021.

The Giants traded Oliver Vernon who was virtually their only reliable threat off the edge. That made it two straight offseasons trading their best pass rusher and EDGE presence in Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul. The team has struggled to generate consistent pressure and sacks in both seasons since and they wonder why after giving up on their two best options. They are still looking for pass rushers desperately and need to find two starters off both edges. By giving up Vernon and then drafting Lawrence over a pass rusher such as Montez Sweat was a misallocation of resources.

Trading for Kevin Zeitler was a smart idea but he hasn’t changed the outlook for this questionable offensive line. The team has added more players alongside and behind Zeitler but none have seemed as capable as the nine-year vet.

For the Browns, they have also not seen much with their returns. Vernon struggled in 2019 with injuries and production. He didn’t start playing well until the second half of 2020 and is now a pending free agent. The Giants also likely were to cut Vernon back in 2019 so trading for him was unnecessary and lost them their best offensive lineman.

Finally, Odell Beckham has not been the answer for the Browns in Cleveland. That much is obvious.

Through two seasons, he hasn’t seemed to be on the same page as Baker Mayfield and has dealt with many games with under five catches or 50 yards. In Week 7 of 2020, Odell tore his ACL while making a tackle after an interception. He missed the rest of the season and is now rehabbing to get his knee healthy. Throughout his Browns’ tenure, trade rumors have constantly flown around Odell’s name in both offseasons. The buzz hasn’t stopped and his name is still brought up every week in trade rumors. Odell stated after the trade that the Giants sent him to Cleveland “To die”. This may sound a bit harsh but Odell clearly had strong feelings about staying in New York and being a New York Giant for the long haul.

The Odell Beckham trade was and will always be one of the most controversial moments and decisions in NY Giants history. There was no need at the time to trade him, there was no adequate in-house or external options to replace him, the team hasn’t gotten better, and the Giants caused further headaches for themselves by trading Odell. To make matters more complicated, the trade wasn’t an obvious “trade they can’t refuse”. The Giants only got back one 1st round pick, an unproven safety, a late 3rd round pick, and a solid guard. Dave Gettleman tried reasoning that by trading for Jabrill, it really was like getting back two 1st round picks despite Peppers playing two seasons already. That was not an accurate portrayal of the trade at the time as Peppers struggled in Cleveland and didn’t showcase much to be a reliable starting player.

The team not only traded Odell but still paid $16 million in cap space to not have him on the team. It is mindboggling to think any NFL team is better off without their best player, their only reliable threat on offense, and also eat $16 million in dead cap. That is an absurd figure for a losing team that has one playoff appearance in 10 years. The team was much better off keeping Odell, sustaining a respectable offense, and using that $16 million on other positions that were desperately needed all over the roster. The Giants have taken on dead money the last few years like there’s no tomorrow, there’s no blowback, and yet here they are with again one of the league’s least talented rosters and still have some of the least money to spend in the entire NFL. It’s hard to comprehend the Giants strategy with no real plans and long-term outlooks.

The Giants also drafted Daniel Jones a month after trading Odell. This is another example of backward thinking. Why take away your rookie quarterback’s best option to catch passes? It made a lot of sense to keep Odell and Saquon Barkley together for several years after Odell’s new contract. Pairing them with Jones could’ve given New York an exciting trio on offense to score points and attack defenses. Just look at what Stefan Diggs did for Josh Allen this year in Buffalo.

Odell’s name in New York will always be a hot topic conversation. He was a polarizing figure who was often beloved and adored or hated and despised by fans, players, and the media. Through it all, Odell stayed true to himself and always was himself. He didn’t change who he was for anybody and whether that’s a good thing or not, it’s ultimately what ended his own career in New York. Odell wanted to be a Giant for Life and it could’ve happened after they hammered down a second contract. It was a disappointing, bitter end to a five-year chapter of Giants football that Odell headlined and was one of the main authors of. John Mara admitted himself how hard it was to trade a player he knows is so supremely talented.

Hindsight will always be 20-20 but the NY Giants made a mistake trading Odell Beckham. It never should have happened and the Giants should have come to terms with who Odell is and what he is about. It never worked out and the chemistry never fully meshed and the Giants moved on. It was a regrettable mistake then and it is still a regrettable mistake two years later.

The Giants never replaced Odell, they worsened their own pass-rushing unit, and are still looking to upgrade both departments two years removed from this trade. Odell may very well be traded again and some may argue the Giants were lucky to move on when they did. Although that may be the case, Odell’s impact on the Giants and New York was undeniable and he should still be a New York Giant in 2021.