Odell Beckham Jr. Admits Being Heartbroken About Leaving the Giants: “I Never Ever Wanted to Leave”

OBJ wanted to win the Super Bowl with the Giants.

Odell Beckham Jr. Admits Being Heartbroken About Leaving the Giants: “I Never Ever Wanted to Leave”

Odell Beckham Jr. (Image via IMAGO)

The New York Giants fans fondly remember Odell Beckham Jr. as the mercurial wide receiver with the one-handed catch against the Dallas Cowboys in 2015. But OBJ wanted more. He wanted to see his name in the same bracket as the team legends like Eli Manning and Michael Strahan, a Super Bowl winner.

Beckham burst onto the scene in 2014, recording three consecutive 1300+ yard seasons. The Giants decided to extend OBJ’s stay in the Big Apple by offering him a five-year, $95 million contract extension with the Giants, with $41 million fully guaranteed, with a total of $65 million in guarantees.

OBJ was on top of the receiver world until everything came crashing down. Just eight months after the new contract, the Giants traded Beckham to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Jabrill Peppers along with a first- and third-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

I never, ever wanted to leave the New York Giants.

Odell Beckham Jr. said in an interview with CBS Sports

Beckham wasn’t happy with the trade. He went to a franchise that had only won four games from 2015 to 2017 (didn’t win any games in 2017). Moreover, they last played postseason football in 2002.

The reason you heard me talking about what was going on was because I was pissed because, where I come from in college, if we lost one game, our season was over.

Beckham added

Odell Beckham Jr. wanted to win a Super Bowl with the Giants

The Browns improved during OBJ’s first two seasons as the main receiver. Drafting Baker Mayfield played a big part in their change of fortune. Browns finally broke their playoff curse by finishing third in the AFC North.

Odell Beckham Jr. Admits Being Heartbroken About Leaving the Giants: "I Never Ever Wanted to Leave"
Odell Beckham Jr. (Image via IMAGO)

However, they had to do it without OBJ, who tore his ACL in October. The Mayfield-led Browns lost in the divisional round.

In November 2021, the Browns waived Beckham after his father threw a tantrum on social media, targeting Mayfield. OBJ signed with the Los Angeles Rams, where he won his one and only Super Bowl.

It was an emotional moment, and he’s thankful to Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford, but he would have preferred to win a Lombardi with the Giants.

This was the organization I got drafted to. They believed in me. So if the Giants went and won a Super Bowl, I would be happy… I went to the LA Rams and won a Super Bowl. But still, you just want that.

Beckham said

Trading away OBJ was a tough decision for the Giants. Right after they completed the move, owner John Mara said via the Giants website,

It was a reluctant approval on my part because I happen to like Odell very much. I recognize the unique talent that he has. It is not easy to trade that player to another team.

Beckham, 32, is currently a free agent after spending one year each with the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins. It’s unclear whether any NFL teams are interested in his services. If not, then he may have to wait for a mid-season call.

In 11 seasons in the NFL, Odell Beckham Jr. appeared in 119 games, caught 575 passes for 7987 yards, and scored 59 touchdowns.

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