Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. suffered a fractured ankle in today’s loss to the Chargers, the club announced today. Beckham will require surgery, which will take place later this week, and his 2017 campaign is over. Video of the injury can be viewed here, but it’s not easy to watch.
Beckham, of course, missed New York’s season opener after spraining his ankle during the preseason. But he’s been mostly healthy since entering the league in 2014 — after a four-game absence to begin his NFL career, Beckham played in 31 of a possible 32 games from 2015-16. His production speaks for itself, as he’s topped 1,300 yards receiving and managed at least 10 touchdowns in each of the past three seasons.
Even if Beckham can return later this season following surgery, the Giants may choose to hold him out for the remainder of the year. Big Blue is now 0-5 after losing a nail-biter to Los Angeles, and most projection models gave New York fewer than a 1% chance to earn a postseason berth even before today’s defeat. Given that reality, the Giants might not want to rush their best player back in a lost campaign.
Beckham’s injury will almost assuredly affect contract negotiations between he and the Giants, as the uncertainty regarding his health will have to give general manager Jerry Reese pause. OBJ had reportedly been open to an in-season extension, but a new contract is unlikely to be hammered out while Beckham is sidelined. He’s under team control through 2018 thanks to his $8.459MM fifth-year option.
Get ready Victor Cruz