More than a decade after he first appeared in a Giants uniform and made seemingly-impossible catches look like one-handed works of art, Odell Beckham Jr. returns to the franchise where it all started for him.
He went through a wide receiver tryout Monday morning and agreed to a one-year contract soon after.
How about that?
The one-time phenom who arrived in 2014 as a first-round pick and achieved stardom on the field and a superstar aura off it will (presumably) finish his career with a mostly-young Giants team moving forward with John Harbaugh as the new head coach.
There will be a segment of the fanbase that grew tired of Beckham and did not want to see a reunion but that will be a minority viewpoint. Mentioning Beckham in conversation almost always lights a spark and, as long as expectations are realistic, as far as his anticipated production, this will be a popular move.
Beckham is no longer the highlight-waiting-to-happen player that delighted Giants fans for most of his five-year run in blue. He is now a 33-year old journeyman receiver who has changed teams six different times and was last seen on the field looking shot after catching only nine passes in nine games for the Dolphins in 2024.
Beckham participated in a high-profile tryout alongside three other NFL veterans: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Braxton Berrios and Anthony Miller.
The Giants liked what they saw from Berrios and signed him to a one-year deal, as Berrios is a kick returner and a need was created there when Gunner Olszewski went down last Friday to a torn right Achilles tendon.
Sometimes, these gatherings are fact-finding missions for teams for future use. In this case, the Giants were intent on signing one of these players, as they were down to nine healthy receivers and wanted to add one for this week’s organized team activity practices and for next week’s mandatory three-day minicamp. The Giants were impressed by what they saw at the workout and decided to sign two players.
After the workout on the field, physicals were given to the players, often a determining factor, especially with these older players currently looking for work.
The injury to Olszewski meant the Giants were down numbers at the position, with Malik Nabers (knee) and Darius Slayton (sports hernia) both coming off surgeries and not yet participating in practice.
Beckham, of course, was the marquee guy at the tryout. There are no guarantees he will make the final roster. When Nabers and Slayton return to full health, there will be at least five receivers ahead of Beckham: Nabers, Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Clavin Austin III and rookie Malachi Fields. Isaiah Hodgins and Beaux Collins offer more, as far as special teams contributors. Beckham does not play special teams and that is usually a deterrent to players deep on the depth chart. Beckham will have to show he can stay on the field and compete during training camp this summer.
He appeared Saturday afternoon at Brian Burns’ charity softball game in Pomona and attracted long lines of Giants’ fans willing to spend $100 for a picture with him — all the proceeds went to Hype 4 Life Foundation, a non-profit to support families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders. There were plenty of “We want you back!’’ exhortations directed at Beckham and he seemed to enjoy being back with his first NFL fan base.
Beckham after signing autographs and posing for pictures told the Post this about the Giants: “It’s a place I never wanted to leave. And it’s just a special place in my heart, just to see all of these Big Blue jerseys — just hoping for the best.
“Just being able to spend that time away, just made me realize some things — I left some things unfinished.”
In his first three seasons with the Giants, Beckham caught 288 passes and scored 35 touchdowns to vault into the best-receiver-in-the-league discussions. He did not maintain that level of excellence, slowed by injuries and troubled by a series of controversies that at times split the opinions of Giants’ fans.
He was traded to the Browns in March of 2019 and never really established a new NFL home. He helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI after the 2021 season but suffered a torn ACL in the second quarter of the 23-20 victory over the Bengals.
Beckham did not play in the NFL in 2025 and was suspended for six games for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs.
He played for Giants head coach John Harbaugh with the Ravens in 2023 and Harbaugh calls Beckham “one of my very favorite people in the world.’’ Beckham had to prove to the Giants that he has something left to offer but Harbaugh’s affinity for him certainly did not hurt.
Berrios, 30, played in four games last season for the Texans. He had his best success in the league with the Jets from 2019 through 2022 as a slot receiver and kick returner.
He has averaged 11.3 yards on 100 career punt returns and 24.9 yards on 91 career kickoff returns.
