Odell Beckham Jr. making an improbable return to the New York Giants in 2026 got even closer to reality this week.
In John Harbaugh’s first offseason as head coach, the NY Giants have been very active in altering the roster to match the new culture they are trying to create. While veterans like Wan’Dale Robinson, Bobby Okereke, and Graham Gano left in free agency, the team added impact players Isaiah Likely, Tremaine Edmunds, and Darnell Mooney.
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For the most part, it looks like the team is done bringing in veterans, and the most meaningful additions in the months ahead will be through the NFL Draft. However, there has been growing speculation about bringing back three-time Pro Bowler Odell Beckham Jr., and it is mostly because quarterback Jaxson Dart and receiver Malik Nabers have publicly pushed for the move.
Fuel was added to the possibility on Monday, when Harbaugh admitted being open to the idea. “The obvious pat answer would be you look at every option,” he said at the NFL League Meetings. “And if Odell is an option, we’ll be looking at him for sure.”
NY Giants met with Odell Beckham Jr. about return
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Well, it looks like they are doing more than just looking at him. On Tuesday, SNY’s Connor Hughes reported that the player the NY Giants made the 12th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft showed up at the NFL Meetings in Phoenix, AZ, asked to have a chat with Harbaugh and team officials, and got it not long after the coach made his comments on Monday.
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Hughes added that the team would need to see him work out in person after missing all of last season before they talk contract. Nevertheless, the possibility of a reunion is as close as ever.
The 33-year-old quickly became a star in the league during his debut season. Winning the NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and Pro Bowl honors. He would then reach the Pro Bowl the next two seasons. The pass catcher missed much of the 2017 season after tearing his ACL, but a bounce-back year in 2018 earned him a new five-year, $90 million deal.
Unfortunately, there were cracks in the relationship between Beckham Jr. and the NY Giants before then, and it all came to a head in 2019 when they traded him to the Cleveland Browns. The receiver has struggled to recapture his elite form ever since, and when he came close during the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl run in 2021, he tore his ACL a second time.
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