For the first time in seven seasons, Odell Beckham will be returning to where his NFL journey began.
Earlier this week Beckham signed a deal to return to the New York Giants, the franchise which originally drafted him 12th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft and where he made a name for himself in the league.
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Beckham sat out the 2025 season as he last suited up with the Miami Dolphins in 2024, while also receiving a six-game suspension in October 2025 for viollating the league’s performance enhancing drugs policy. But the former Pro Bowler believes he will ultimately benefit from the time away from the game.
“It feels great,” Beckham said according to NFL.com. “To have a lot of time off to take a step away from the game was best for me. At a time in my life when you love something so much that it kind of became detrimental. Became bad. To take that time off and be with my son and be with family and reprioritize what was important to me, and knowing that I still love this game so much.”
Since his breakout season with the Giants in 2018, Beckham has battled several injuries that have kept him from returning to the previous heights of his career. But those memories of spectacular one-handed catches and breakaway scores make the experience of coming back that much sweeter.
“I felt great being back out there. Being back in the building, on this field. Looking at this stadium. It’s a pretty surreal feeling,” Beckham said. “I know I have a lot of work to do. [Head coach John Harbaugh] and I have already talked about it. I came here to earn anything. Everything in my life, nothing was given to me. I came here to earn it and work hard every day and do what’s best of the team.”
Beckham first departed New York when the franchise traded him to the Cleveland Browns following four of out five losing seasons with the team. Cleveland would later waive him partway through his third season where he would be picked up by the Los Angeles Rams, where he would play a part in helping it win the Super Bowl before suffering a torn ACL in the game. From there Beckham would sit out 2022 and return to action in 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens prior to his stop in Miami.
In order to complete his comeback in New York, Beckham will have to first compete with a wide receiver room alongside Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Calvin Austin, Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney, Isaiah Hodgins, Jalin Hyatt, Xavier Gipson, Braxton Berrios and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Despite the team also rebuilding itself under new head coach John Harbaugh, the goal is still the same for Beckham as it was during his early years in the league.
“Play well, win a Super Bowl. That’s the best case,” Beckham said. “That’s what you want to do. I used to be in here looking at these banners, and all I ever wanted to do for this place was win. Everybody knows, you can write it up however you want, but I never wanted to leave here. … All I ever wanted to do was win, and that’s all I want to do now.”
Patrick Dowd is a contributor for Ball Exclusives. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
