The Giants are keeping the door open for an Odell Beckham Jr. reunion in East Rutherford and that seems to stem from top to bottom. John Mara made that clear on Monday that the Giants “haven’t closed that door” on the idea and head coach Brian Daboll admitted to reporters in Arizona that he had recently texted with OBJ.
“Yeah, maybe once or twice,” Daboll said, according to the New York Daily News. “I shouldn’t say ‘talked.’ I texted … It hasn’t come in the last week or so. But we’ll see.”
The Giants’ head coach appeared to play coy when reporters asked him if he wanted Beckham Jr. back.
It was no secret months ago that the Giants had been among the teams courting OBJ during the season. It ended up that no one signed the receiver, but his name has continued to be connected to the Giants. And it would appear that the interest is still very much there from the Giants.
However the question remains, would it be a good fit for the 2023 Giants and Beckham Jr. for a reunion?
There’s no doubt about the talent level that he has and the fact that the Giants need receivers. One of general manager Joe Schoen’s biggest objectives this offseason has been to bolster the receiving group that quarterback Daniel Jones has to throw to.
That’s been clear with the additions of Darren Waller, via a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, and Parris Campbell who was signed early in free agency. Sterling Shepard will also be back along with Isiah Hodges.
And Beckham Jr. could be a boon for the Giants, if healthy.
That is the biggest question in the whole equation here when discussing the idea of signing OBJ. His connection to the organization and players on the roster along with his skill would seem to tip the scales to suggest bringing him back would be the no-brainer thing to do.
However, the Giants are still working their way out of salary cap hell and have limited cap room to work with. While teams were trying to sign him during last season he was reportedly looking for a deal in the $15-$20 million range, but the injury concerns are sure to give any team considering him some pause.
He missed all of last season while recovering from his second torn ACL he sustained during the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl victory. Those are not easy injuries to recover from and the price that Beckham Jr. seems to still be a bit rich for many teams in the NFL.
Still, the wide receiver had stated publicly that he won’t accept “box wine” prices and stated firmly that $4 million “ain’t enough.”
When amNewYork spoke with doctors in December about what teams could realistically expect from Beckham one physical therapist stated that it’s possible OBJ “can be about 85% of what that was.” While a fellowship-trained sports medicine physician said, “If he contributes another meaningful year or two I’ll be genuinely surprised.”
In 96 career NFL games, Beckham Jr. has 531 receptions for 7,367 yards and 56 touchdowns. Of that, 5,476 of those yards and 44 of those TDs came while he was a member of the Giants.
“I think any decision that we make, we’ll do it together. Joe and I will sit down, and we’ll talk about it, and it’s gotta make sense for everybody,” Daboll said.
Under Schoen and Daboll, the Giants have been a very well-run organization and don’t seem like they’ll make a move if it isn’t the right fit. The return of Beckham Jr. to the team that drafted him would be a great story, but only for the right price.
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