Jason Leach
With the NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, the New York Giants continue to add to their roster by signing defensive tackle Shelby Harris. It’s expected that the team will shortly sign another veteran, former Giant Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham played with New York from 2014 to 2018 and was voted to the Pro Bowl three times and was named Second-Team All-Pro twice. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns in March of 2019, and from there, he’s had stints with the Rams, Ravens, and Dolphins.
He last played in 2024, where he appeared in nine games for the Dolphins, before they released him in December. Since then, there has been speculation that he might have a reunion with the team that selected him 12th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.
OBJ will turn 34 in November, and although he may not have the quickness and speed he once had, he is a great route runner with exceptional hands. In addition, he brings three intangibles that no one else in the Giants receiver room has.
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Championship experience
In 2021, Beckham won a Super Bowl as a member of the Los Angeles Rams. He was having a fast start to Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals, catching two passes for 52 yards and a touchdown in the first half, before he was sidelined with a torn ACL.
Although he didn’t finish the game, if not for OBJ’s contribution in the Super Bowl and the entire season, the Rams would not have become champions. Currently, no receiver on New York’s roster has won a Super Bowl. The championship experience he can share with his teammates could turn out to be invaluable, as New York is one of the favorites to go from worst to first in 2026.
In addition, OBJ was part of the last Giants team to have a double-digit winning season back in 2016 when the team went 11-5 and made the playoffs as a wildcard. How the team prepared leading up to their Wildcard game against the Green Bay Packers was heavily criticized. The older and wiser OBJ will make sure the current receiver room is prepared the right way, unlike what happened in 2016.
Familiarity with John Harbaugh
If the team signs OBJ, he would not only have a reunion with his old team but also with John Harbaugh. Beckham played for Harbaugh in 2023 with the Ravens, where he appeared in 14 games and had 35 receptions for 565 yards with three touchdowns, and helped them advance to the AFC Championship Game.
Although several former Ravens have joined the 63-year-old head coach to New York, such as Isaiah Likely and Patrick Ricard, no one currently in the receiver room knows what it’s like to be coached by Harbaugh.
Beckham can inform the wideouts of what their head coach expects from them during practice, meetings, and in games. He can also advise the room on Harbaugh’s philosophy and his temperament for when things are going well and bad.
A mentor to Malik Nabers and the rest of the receivers
It’s not a secret that many of the younger players in the league idolized or looked up to OBJ in their youth. One of those players is star wideout Malik Nabers.
Nabers is in the same position OBJ was a decade ago as the team’s best offensive playmaker and the focal point of the offense. Beckham can mentor Nabers and the other players on how to deal with success and the low points of a season.
OBJ can also guide the third-year wideout on how he rehabs from a torn ACL since he suffered that injury twice in his career. Knowing exactly what Nabers is going through will help him reach his full potential in becoming one of the best receivers in the league.
Some of these intangibles might seem subtle, but in a game where outcomes are decided by the slimmest of margins, the return of OBJ to New York could help thrust the franchise into becoming winners again. The Giants reunion with OBJ could come later this month.
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