The New York Giants are releasing wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., per NFL Media. The news comes on the heels of the Giants’ 12-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, where Beckham played just six offensive snaps and saw one target. He leaves New York for the second time in his career, having played a total of 20 offensive snaps in three games with zero catches this season.
OBJ, who was selected by New York with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, ranks second in franchise history behind Amani Toomer in receiving yards with 5,476. He also ranks fourth in receiving touchdowns with 44. His return to the Giants was one of the more fun and nostalgic storylines of the offseason, but he found himself low on the depth chart behind Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney and Malachi Fields.
“I have an opportunity to rewrite some of the last bit of the chapter,” Beckham said in August after making the Giants’ final 53-man roster. “Don’t know, last year, whatever it is, I just know I’m going to give my all. But definitely had that moment where it was like you could let out some of the pain that I feel like I went through. It was just very healing, very emotional, something I was very happy about.”
Fans wanted to see more of Beckham during his short second stint in New York. Just this past Sunday, those at MetLife Stadium chanted for Beckham.
ESPN points out that the Giants had to decide on the placement of wide receiver and punt returner Braxton Berrios, who is now out of practice squad elevations. He has now been signed to the active roster. Jordan Schultz reports that Beckham will not be returning to the Giants’ practice squad, as he’s looking for an opportunity to play right now.
Beckham hit the ground running in his NFL career, putting up 1,305 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns in his first season in just 12 games played. His 108.8 receiving yards per game led the league. Beckham’s best campaign came in 2015, when he caught 96 passes for 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns.
After five seasons with the Giants, Beckham was traded to the Cleveland Browns. He recorded his fifth 1,000-yard season in 2019, then tore his ACL in 2020. As the situation in Cleveland cratered in 2021, Beckham was released and joined the Los Angeles Rams. He won a Super Bowl ring that year, but re-tore his ACL in the final game. Beckham sat out the 2022 season, spent one year with the Baltimore Ravens, and then 2024 with the Miami Dolphins before taking another one-year break in 2025.
So, OBJ still wants to play. It remains to be seen if there will be any interest in him given that he turns 34 in November, but there could be some opportunities. Let’s take a look at four potential landing spots for Beckham.
Reuniting with the Rams does make some sense. Puka Nacua has missed two straight games with a nagging groin/hip issue, leaving Davante Adams and Konata Mumpfield as the leading receivers. The Rams are off to a surprising 1-2 start following the Sunday night loss to the Denver Broncos.
OBJ isn’t a game-changing type of talent at this stage of his career, but he does have familiarity with Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay.
The Kansas City Chiefs could be in the market for a veteran wide receiver. That room needs some help, as Patrick Mahomes is still relying on 36-year-old Travis Kelce to be his leading receiver. Rashee Rice has 190 yards receiving through three games, with Tyquan Thornton behind him at 108 yards receiving. If there’s one weakness with the Chiefs, it’s probably the wide receiver position.
The New England Patriots are off to an embarrassing 1-2 start, and fans are starting to ask questions about quarterback Drake Maye following his three-turnover performance in the 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. A.J. Brown is sidelined with a high ankle sprain, which has put more pressure on Mack Hollins, Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas. Hollins is the only one who is averaging more than 50 yards per game.
The Patriots benefitted from veteran wideout Stefon Diggs last year, who was their leading receiver during the Super Bowl run. Beckham would not have the kind of impact Diggs did on this offense, but he could be an option for Mike Vrabel.
The Las Vegas Raiders are a surprising 3-0 this season despite having one of the weaker wide receiver rooms in the NFL. Tre Tucker leads the team in receiving with 189 yards, then the next leading wide receiver is Jalen Nailor, who has 52 yards receiving through three games. This unit just lost Jack Bech to a broken forearm, so if OBJ wants to play, Sin City could be an option.
