Giants need to make a decision on Odell Beckham Jr.
The New York Giants must stop flirting with the notion of trading Odell Beckham Jr.
New York, which has been something of a train wreck since drafting Beckham back in 2014, hasn’t put an end to the ceaseless rumblings involving a potential trade. All this, despite the fact that in his first five years, Beckham has amassed 5,476 receiving yards an 44 touchdowns.
While Beckham can be immature both in his actions — damaging the locker room after a playoff loss and Lambeau Field, fighting a kicking net, drawing personal fouls during celebrations and the party boat in Miami say hello — his talent is undeniable.
Still, New York is apparently considering what life would be like without Beckham.
For general manager Dave Gettleman, maybe it’s the nonsense Beckham occasionally brings into the fold. Maybe it’s the fact he has missed 21 games over his five-year period with the Giants due to various injuries. Maybe it’s that New York could really use a few first-round picks and some more cap space. Considering Beckham’s five remaining years on his current contract and almost $100 million in cap hits, the Giants would be unloaded major money.
Ultimately, though, what would a Beckham trade say to the rest of the team? Gettleman would be moving on from his best player but holding on once more to Eli Manning. Manning, once a good quarterback who helped guide the franchise to a pair of titles, is a shell of his old self. In any locker room, that would be an impossible sell.
All that said, if the Giants truly are motivated to move on from Beckham, the time is now. New York is going to be rebuilding in the near future anyway — it should be doing the tear-down now — once Manning is gone after this season. Maybe the Giants pick up Dwayne Haskins, Kyler Murray or Drew Lock this year, let them learn behind Manning and then start anew in 2020.
With free agency approaching in the next few weeks, New York is facing the moment where it takes a lane and goes forward. If the Giants plan to win in the near future, holding onto Beckham and building around his generational talents is the smart move. If Gettleman believes he has job security and doesn’t like the roster, Beckham is the quickest way to acquire a bevy of draft capital.
New York hasn’t won a playoff game since Beckham arrived. It’s time to change that fact in short order, one direction or the other.
