Odell Beckham Jr. officially brought his NFL career to a close after 10 seasons in the league. Or that is what a lot of NFL fans were tricked into believing on Tuesday.
A spoof account impersonating ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter posted that Beckham Jr. officially retired from the NFL at just 32 years old. However, the electrifying receiver who has played for the Giants, Browns, Rams, Ravens, and Dolphins denied those claims and was not happy about it.
“Plz stop reading everything on the internet, and stop texting me happy retirement b4 u piss me off ğŸ˜ğŸ˜ğŸ˜,” he wrote on X. “That will get no response. I promise u the day I’m done I will let u kno. Again if u text me happy retirement im just gon have to block uğŸ˜ğŸ˜. Thanks
- Odell Beckham Jr. stats (Career): 575 catches, 7,987 receiving yards, 59 touchdowns, 13.9 yards per catch
Beckham Jr. has had a career that many players wish they could have had. Yet, for as good a run as he’s had in the league — including helping the Rams win the Super Bowl in 2021 — for many fans, he seems like legendary potential that’s gone unfulfilled. And too many Giants fans, if not for his overly emotional nature, he could have easily gone down as one of the greatest players to ever where a Big Blue uniform.
Odell Beckham Jr: A Star That Flamed Out Too Fast
In the 2014 NFL Draft, the Giants used the 12th pick overall to select Beckham Jr. out of LSU. The buzz on the receiver was notable, but he was still the third pass catcher selected that year after the Bills took Sammy Watkins at four, and the Bucs selected Mike Evans seventh. So no one expected him to be the instant superstar he would become in his rookie season.
In 2014, the 22-year-old took the NFL by storm, and that is not hyperbole. He reeled in 91 catches for 1,305 yards and 12 TDs. In just 12 games, he evolved into one of the best receivers in the game and became a household name when he made a one-handed catch in November of that year against the Cowboys that still may be the greatest reception in football history.
He followed that up with two more Pro Bowl seasons as he posted 1,450 and 1,367 yards, respectively. It put him in the discussion as the best receiver on Earth. Yet, there were always cracks in the facade. For as electric as he was on the field, he was volatile off of it. He didn’t get into legal trouble, but his emotional nature rubbed coaches and some teammates the wrong way.
While he got the massive $90 million extension he was looking for in 2018, his tumultuous relationship with management and coaches, along with an ACL tear in 2017, would lead to the end of his run in New York via a trade to the Browns in 2019.
Beckham Jr. would only have one more season of over 1,000 receiving yards and had trouble recapturing his once elite form. Just when it seemed like he might with the Rams, he tore an ACL for the second time in the 2021 Super Bowl.
Odell Beckham Jr. Had Potential To Be One of the Greatest New York Giants Ever
While Beckham Jr. only played in 59 games during his five seasons in New York, he made a historic impression. Despite his relatively short tenure with the franchise, he is second all-time in receiving yards (5,476). Fourth in catches (390) and fourth in touchdowns (44).
What could have happened if he hadn’t worn out his welcome with the team? If he had hung around for eight seasons, he likely would be first in all of the above categories. He would be called the greatest receiver in Giants history, and in the discussion with Eli Manning, Lawrence Taylor, and Michael Strahan, as one of the greatest to ever wear a G-Men uniform.
In the end, that may be his lasting memory with Giants fans — along with being a special talent. If not for things going sideways and his tenure ending way too soon, he had all the skills to be a New York sports legend. Instead, he will go down as one of the great “What if” stories in team history.
