Odell Beckham Jr.’s return to the Giants ended almost as soon as it began, and the veteran receiver made it clear on Sunday that the way it went down sat badly with him.
Beckham had signed with New York in June and eventually made the roster in August, a move that briefly seemed to give him a chance to contribute as a target for Jaxson Dart. But after Dart’s injury, the situation shifted fast for the Giants, and Beckham was cut after Week 3 without catching a pass.
The Giants moved on from him on Sept. 29, releasing Beckham to make room for Braxton Berrios on the active roster. In three games, Beckham played only 19 snaps and drew one target, leaving him with little opportunity to make a real imprint in his second stint with the team that drafted him.
John Harbaugh explained the decision this way, per ESPN: "Had a great conversation with Odell and it's tough," John Harbaugh said of the move, per ESPN." But we just weren't getting enough.
It just wasn't working for us. And like I told him, I wanted to be able to get more.
I wanted him to be able to do more. I wanted to get him on the field more.
"Whatever reason, we weren't able to do it. Put it on us.
We weren't able to get it done. At this point in time, that's kind of where we were and we needed to move on."
Beckham stayed quiet publicly until Sunday, when he used Instagram comments to air his frustration. He said he "didn't see this one," that "they got me," and that "they won." He also said he came in "humbly" on a minimum contract and "earned" his spot, but that he "shoulda known better."
"What hurt my heart to the core is comin home and seeing my son and how happy he was with no idea of what happened," Beckham wrote. "Idk why they even gave me the run along."
"I coulda really been playing this year somewhere and making an impact."
Beckham also told Josina Anderson by text when he was released, and later added that "one door closes and another opens."
For now, he’s back on the open market, and it remains unclear whether another NFL opportunity will come his way this season.
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