Giants Country

Questions Giants Need Answered Regarding Potential Odell Beckham Jr Reunion

Giants general manager Joe Schoen is doing due diligence regarding OBJ. But will it lead to a reunion?

Patricia Traina

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New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen wouldn’t be doing his job correctly if he didn’t do due diligence on every available player out there who could potentially help the team.

That’s why he’s hosting a two-day visit from receiver Odell Beckham Jr, who once upon a time not only was the Giants offense but who also gave fans a reason to smile during the team’s lean years.

It’s due diligence to see the receiver work out, to get the team’s medical people to examine his twice-repaired ACL, and to sit down to get to know a player that, if everything checks out, could help the team if he is anything close to being the receiver he was earlier in his career.

But how much would a reunion between Beckham, whom the Giants traded away after the 2018 season when they had enough of his off-field antics that made him a lightning rod for all the wrong reasons, really make sense?

The answer is it wouldn't, for several reasons.

Money

If we have to start anywhere, we might as well start here. It's no secret that Schoen inherited a horrific salary cap situation from Dave Gettleman that has significantly hamstrung what he's been able to do.

And after tapping out on just about every contract to find more cap space, the only one Schoen hasn't touched--and given how long it's taken for him to make a move here, one he doesn't want to have to touch unless there is no other choice--is that of receiver Kenny Golladay's.

Unless Beckham is willing to come in for the veteran minimum--and given his disclosure that the Los Angeles Rams, where he appeared to have found a home, didn't offer him anything substantial, that seems very unlikely--where the Giants are going to find the money to pay Beckham if he passes the other tests is perhaps the biggest hurdle (though not insurmountable.

If the Giants' salary cap situation was truly a problem, it's doubtful Schoen would waste any time hosting the receiver for a visit)

Performance/Health

Beckham is coming off two ACL injuries. He is three years removed from his last 1,000-yard season. While that doesn't necessarily mean he's washed up, those are factors currently working against him.

That's why the workout will be so important. Thus far, it's believed that claims of Beckham being cleared medically have originated from his side. However, any team who signs him will not sign him sight unseen. He will be poked and prodded by the team doctors, and they will make sure there are no issues with Beckham's ACL.

Fit

If Beckham is healthy, he's a game-changing receiver. The problem with him is he's always been a lightning rod for attention, often of the wrong kind. One of the final straws was his explosive interview with ESPN in which Beckham not only took a thinly veiled verbal swipe at then quarterback Eli Manning, but the receiver also wouldn't say if he was happy in New York, even after signing a megadeal extension just months earlier.

Beckham reportedly had issues in Cleveland, including an alleged disagreement with then-quarterback Baker Mayfield over his lack of targets.

While Beckham would probably get a fair amount of targets were he to sign with the Giants this year, the expectation is that New York will add to its receiving corps next off-season. And if they do, and it results in a drop-off in targets for Beckham, would he be okay with that, or would he start to grumble as he did with the Giants and Browns?

Therein lies the biggest question the Giants need to have answered: Is Beckham a fit for their culture? Head coach Brian Daboll doesn't want "me first" players in his locker room, and Beckham's prior actions would indicate that's the type of player he's been.

That's why it's important to sit with him and get a sense if he's outgrown that kind of behavior or if it still festers deep within him. And if Beckham still has any traces left of those characteristics, do the Giants want to risk creating a crack in the foundation they've been building under this new regime?

The Future

Despite their impressive and surprising season thus far, the Giants are trying to rebuild for the long term. Schoen is projected to have 11 draft picks next year and a much healthier cap situation. He is certain to add to an underperforming receiving corps via the draft and perhaps even via free agency.

Beckham, at best, would be a short-term solution if signed. And with the Giants needing to pay Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones, just to name a few, Schoen needs to ask himself if Beckham would make that much of a difference if signed.

How Will It Play Out?

This Giants team is not one player away from making a Super Bowl run, though it still has a chance to make the postseason. Schoen resisted trading for a younger receiver on a rookie deal because he didn't want to part with draft assets.

While Beckham wouldn't cost him draft assets, he would cost him money, another type of asset. And if Schoen didn't think the Giants were one receiver away from making a deep playoff run at the trade deadline to part with draft assets, it's hard to think he's changed his mind in the last week or two.

A reunion with Beckham would be a heartwarming story, but it's also one that doesn't seem to be the right move for the Giants at this point in their rebuild.

But unless Schoen does his due diligence--which, again, is why Beckham is getting a visit with the Giants, to begin with--they'll never know for sure. 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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