Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the most electric receivers to ever play in the NFL. He also has never been one to hide how he feels. Over the years, he’s left just enough breadcrumbs for New York Giants fans to sense how unhappy he was leaving the Big Apple. But during an interview on "Beckham and Friends Live" during the UCL Final, the former Pro Bowler stripped away any ambiguity:
“I never ever wanted to leave the New York Giants,” Beckham Jr. said. “The reason you heard me talking about what was going on was because I was pissed because, where I come from in college, if we lost one game, our season was over.
“This was the organization I got drafted to. They believed in me. So if the Giants went and won a Super Bowl, I would be happy. But deep down inside, I wanted to be the one. No question. So it’s definitely you’ll always hold that. But then someone like me, I went to the LA Rams, won a Super Bowl. But still, you just want that.”
That really doesn’t sound like someone who forced his way out. It sounds more like someone who got his legs cut out from underneath him and then fed to the media sharks as bait.
OBJ’s words echo what most Giants fans already knew
The decision to trade Beckham in 2019 — just months after giving him a $90 million extension — was made by former general manager Dave Gettleman. It was the peak of dysfunction. Say one thing, do another. And no matter how you feel about Beckham’s antics or the media circus that wouldn't leave him alone, it’s hard to look back now and justify the move.
Gettleman infamously claimed “We didn’t sign Odell to trade him” just before doing exactly that. He spun it as a cultural reset. Said it was about toughness and chemistry. Meanwhile, the return was Jabrill Peppers, a couple of picks, and a long stretch of explaining why it made sense at the time.
Giants fans didn’t need Beckham’s admission to know Gettleman blew it, but hearing it straight from No. 13 just reaffirms what the fanbase’s gut told them back in 2019 — this regime got it dead wrong.
Beckham might not have been the perfect franchise cornerstone, but he was the best thing the Giants had on offense since peak Victor Cruz. His production was never the problem. His competitiveness wasn’t either. If anything, his frustration stemmed from watching the franchise flail around him while he carried the load.
And now, at 32, likely approaching the end of his NFL career, Beckham’s message rings louder than it would’ve in real-time. He never wanted to leave. He wanted to win in New York. The G-Men traded him to Cleveland — a franchise devoid of winning since... really since its formation. Intentional or not, sending him to the Browns was a low blow.
It’s been years since the Gettleman era deservedly ended, but moments like this are a brutal reminder that things still haven't necessarily gotten better. Beckham’s comments won't change the past, but they underline what most fans figured out a long time ago. Trading him was a terrible move by a directionless front office that should have prompted the final nail in the proverbial coffin.