Giants, Odell Beckham Jr. Undecided On Potential Reunion
Odell Beckham Jr. has played for five teams in his 10-year NFL career, but the majority of his success came as a member of the Giants from 2014-18. Although the free agent wide receiver has not suited up since Dec. 8, 2024, the Giants brought him in for a workout on Monday. While head coach John Harbaugh said Beckham “looked good,” it is unclear if the 33-year-old will rejoin the Giants.
“We’re not decided on that yet; he’s not quite decided on that yet,’’ Harbaugh revealed (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). “I think we just have to kind of see where we’re at this next week.’’
The Giants entered this week’s draft needing at least one receiver. After addressing other weaknesses with their first three selections, they traded up 31 picks to grab former Notre Dame wideout Malachi Fields in the third round. Fields is now part of a receiving corps that also includes Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, free agent signings Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin, and 2023 third-rounder Jalin Hyatt, among others. If the Giants are not fully content with their current group, they could take a cheap flier on Beckham or another available veteran.
A first-rounder of the Giants 12 years ago, Beckham earned all three of his Pro Bowl nods and his two second-team All-Pro selections in their uniform. Among pass catchers, the former LSU star ranks second in franchise history in yards (5,467) and fourth in both receptions (390) and touchdowns (44). Beckham largely shined as a Giant, but they cut ties in a March 2019 trade with the Browns. The deal delivered a first-round pick (No. 17), which the Giants used on Dexter Lawrence, among other assets.
Beckham played a full season and hauled in 74 catches for 1,035 yards in his first year in Cleveland, but he has not approached those numbers since then. Various injuries limited Beckham to 44 of a possible 84 regular-season games from 2020-24. In addition to the Browns, he spent time with the Rams, Ravens and Dolphins during that five-year run. While he was effective during his short stint with the Rams in 2021, he tore his ACL in Super Bowl LVI. Beckham caught a touchdown in the Rams’ 23-20 triumph over the Bengals, but he has not reached those heights since.
After sitting out 2022 to rehab his knee injury, Beckham returned to post decent complementary production with the Harbaugh-coached Ravens in 2023. Beckham snagged 35 receptions for 565 yards (16.1 YPC) and three TDs in Baltimore, but he made no impact in a nine-game, nine-catch year with the Dolphins in 2024. Although Beckham did not find a job last season, he still served a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.
Giants Host WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. did not finish the 2024 season as a member of the Dolphins, being waived during that campaign. No team signed the former Pro Bowler in 2025 — his second year out of football this decade.
Establishing himself as a star during the 2010s as a Giant, Beckham met with John Harbaugh at last month’s league meetings. Harbaugh coached Beckham with the Ravens in 2023 (but did not re-sign him for the ’24 season). The prospect of a second NFL comeback gained steam Monday, with the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy reporting OBJ is at the Giants’ facility taking a physical.
This is being described as a Beckham workout for the Giants, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo add. Although this would certainly be a fascinating reunion, SNY’s Connor Hughes indicates no deal is imminent. Though, Hughes adds OBJ moved well and looked good at this audition.
Beckham, who played in last month’s flag football showcase as a reintroduction of sorts for evaluators, played with the Giants from 2014-18. All three of his Pro Bowl nods came in New York, but the team dealt him to Cleveland in 2019 in a haul that included the No. 17 overall pick. The Giants parted ways with the player obtained with that selection — Dexter Lawrence — over the weekend.
While Beckham played Hall of Fame potential during his five-year stint as a Giant, injuries slowed him considerably after his Big Apple exit. He has sustained two ACL tears, the second of which coming in Super Bowl LVI, and missed a chunk of the Dolphins’ 2024 season after more knee trouble intervened. Added on a one-year, $3MM deal to be a high-profile WR3 alongside Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Beckham caught just nine passes for 55 yards before being cut in early December that year.
With Harbaugh now leading the Giants, Beckham’s 2023 season in Baltimore becomes more relevant. He was far more productive as a Raven, hauling in 35 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games. This worked out to a career-high 16.1 yards per catch. Until Zay Flowers is extended, Beckham’s $15MM guarantee at signing remains the most money the franchise has guaranteed a veteran wideout. The Ravens’ Beckham decision nixed a potential Courtland Sutton trade in 2023, providing a seminal development for a trade-rumor mainstay (who has enjoyed a strong Broncos second act since), and the team let him walk in 2024.
Considering the injury trouble Beckham has encountered, he is unlikely to reach the $3MM number he played for in Miami. The Giants already added low-cost wideouts in Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin, and with the team obtaining the Bengals’ No. 10 overall pick for Lawrence, the prospect of a first-round wide receiver looms as Malik Nabers rehabs an ACL tear. It would stand to reason the Giants wait on Beckham until after the draft. If Beckham is open to other destinations, waiting to see how WR rooms look post-draft would be logical for the free agent as well.
Mutual Interest Between WR Odell Beckham Jr., Giants?
Odell Beckham Jr.‘s recent showing at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic led to some speculation that he could make an NFL comeback. The WR’s apparent interest in returning to the NFL was reciprocated by some anonymous suitors, as OBJ’s performance generated some “renewed interest.”
[RELATED: Beckham Interested In Resuming NFL Career]
One of those potential suitors could be one of Beckham’s former teams. While John Harbaugh wouldn’t definitively say if the Giants have interest in the veteran wideout, the new head coach did admit he’d at least consider the possibility.
“The obvious answer would be you look at every option,” Harbaugh said (via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). “And if Odell is an option, we’ll be looking at him for sure.”
In addition to OBJ’s standout stint with the Giants, he also has familiarity with the franchise’s new decision maker. The WR played under Harbaugh in Baltimore during the 2023 campaign, when he hauled in 35 catches for 565 yards. Harbaugh acknowledged that he remains in contact with the free agent wideout.
“He and I do talk. We do text,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve maintained a really great relationship. He’s one of my very favorite people in the world. It’s not like you don’t talk to guys on things like that. And certainly we have.”
To add fuel to the fire, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports that the receiver was spotted chatting with Harbaugh at the hotel that’s hosting the ongoing owners meetings. Raanan notes that the two sides were indeed discussing a potential role in New York.
While OBJ’s performance in a flag football game may have raised some eyebrows, it’s uncertain if that showing would translate to the NFL. After all, the 33-year-old has been limited to only nine games over the past two years, with his stint in Miami in 2024 ending with him hauling in only nine catches for 55 yards. He was hit with a six-game ban in 2025 for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, and he didn’t end up finding a new home for the rest of the season.
If OBJ was to return to the NFL, the Giants would clearly be a logical landing spot. Besides his history with the franchise and Harbaugh, the Giants could have an opening for a player like Beckham. The team lost Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency, and with Malik Nabers working his way back from a torn ACL, the Giants are eyeing an early-season depth chart consisting of Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, and newcomers Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin.
Duggan cautions that a move is not imminent, and the Giants would obviously only consider a move after hosting the receiver for a workout. General manager Joe Schoen said as much earlier today.
“Typically, if it’s not one of these higher-paid guys, coming off a season where — we’re not going to work out [newly signed tight end] Isaiah Likely or somebody — but somebody that hasn’t played, in this instance you’re talking about Odell hasn’t played in a year, you’d certainly want to see him work out,” Schoen said.
WR Odell Beckham Jr. Interested In Resuming NFL Career
TODAY: It sounds like OBJ’s flag football performance did indeed put him back on the NFL radar. According to Jordan Schultz, the wide receiver has received “renewed interest” in recent days.
MARCH 23: Odell Beckham Jr. was among the participants in this weekend’s Fanatics Flag Football Classic. He hopes that will not be the last event of his playing career. 
“Looking forward to hopefully getting an opportunity to play this year, and hopefully, this is kinda just a starting point,” the three-time Pro Bowl receiver said (video link via Kay Adams) when asked about his desire to return to the NFL in 2026.
Beckham made nine appearances in 2024 as a member of the Dolphins. Upon being waived, he did not catch on with another team to close out the campaign. This past season included a six-game PED suspension; upon serving it, Beckham once again did not sign with any team. The Super Bowl winner remains unsigned at this point, and he has not been linked to any suitors so far in free agency.
During his last full campaign, Beckham made 14 appearances with the Ravens in the regular season and another two in the playoffs in 2023. The former Giants star averaged a career-high 16.1 yards per catch during his lone Baltimore campaign, one in which he operated as a secondary option in the passing game. Regardless of where the 33-year-old lands in 2026 – if he works out a deal – he will be viewed as a depth member of his latest team’s passing attack.
The initial wave of free agency has come and gone, and as such many of the top players on the market have their new contracts in hand. The receiver position in particular still has a number of unanswered questions, however, with the likes of Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel still unsigned at this point. Trade rumors continue to swirl in the case of A.J. Brown as well, something which may remain the case well into the spring. Teams which come up short adding one of the veterans still available could see Beckham as a contingency option.
Beckham’s Ravens deal contained $15MM guaranteed; that figure fell to $3MM when he joined the Dolphins. Another low-cost investment is no doubt the only way he will set up an NFL comeback for 2026.
WR Odell Beckham Jr. Reinstated From Suspension
The NFL reinstated wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Tuesday after he completed a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Beckham, 33, was suspended in October for a failed drug test from his time with the Dolphins last season. He said that he never knowingly took a performance enhancing substance, but accepted the league’s discipline without an appeal.
If Beckham was trying to illicitly boost his performance, it did not show up on the field. 2024 was a year of career-lows, starting with 120 snaps played and continuing through virtually every receiving category. In nine appearances with the Dolphins, he put up lower numbers than he did in four games in 2017 and seven games in 2020 before suffering season-ending injuries in both years.
Beckham did not have many opportunities in Miami, as four other Dolphins received at least 80 targets last season. But in 2023 with the Ravens, he drew the second-most targets on the team and put up 565 receiving yards, his most since 2019, to go along with a career-high 8.8 yards per target. Beckham may not be the high-volume, high-production wideout he once was, but he could still be an efficient part of an NFL receiving room with plenty of experience and veteran savvy.
Beckham said in August that he intends to play in 2025, but no reports of interest in the 10-year veteran have surfaced in recent months. He did mention a conversation with Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and Pittsburgh did not land a wide receiver at the trade deadline despite an apparent desire to do so.
Odell Beckham Jr. To Incur PED Ban
Odell Beckham Jr. has not landed with a team since the Dolphins waived him following last year’s trade deadline. The veteran wide receiver will have a tougher time catching on following a news development today.
The well-traveled pass catcher said during an appearance on The Pivot podcast he will accept a six-game PED suspension stemming from a positive test last year. The suspension will begin this week, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero.
Beckham said during his podcast appearance he has never knowingly taken a performance-enhancing drug. This marks the second suspension of Beckham’s career; he drew a one-game ban for his on-field skirmish with Josh Norman in 2015.
Still planning to play this season, Beckham will be unable to do so until well into November. It is certainly possible the former superstar has played his final NFL down, as he was unproductive with the Dolphins before the team cut him last December. No club claimed OBJ, and he has resided in free agency since.
During a previous podcast appearance, Beckham said teams were looking into him. The former Giants Pro Bowler mentioned a conversation with Aaron Rodgers about a potential Steelers gig, but nothing came of it. It would surprise if Beckham landed a near-future agreement in light of this PED development. Beckham, 33 in November, finished last season with just nine receptions for 55 yards. Hoping OBJ would become a solid WR3 alongside Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Miami moved on.
Last year brought a knee procedure that led Beckham to begin his Dolphins season on the reserve/PUP list. The production decline proved disappointing for Miami and rather surprising, as the former Super Bowl champion posted 565 receiving yards on 35 catches with the Ravens. That production came in just 14 games. Not many glimpses of that form came in Miami, however, and the 10-year veteran — who missed the 2022 season due to the ACL tear sustained in Super Bowl LVI — has seen injuries provide steady impediments as his career has progressed.
Sustaining ACL tears during the 2020 and ’21 seasons, Beckham rebounded to make an impact with the Ravens in 2023. He came on down the stretch that year, averaging a career-high 16.1 yards per reception. But Baltimore opted to increase Rashod Bateman‘s role in 2024, letting Beckham walk in free agency. This PED ban will decrease the chances another comeback is in store for a player who delivered one of the great early-career stretches of any receiver in NFL history. But that period ended nearly 10 years ago.
The three-time Pro Bowler did post a 1,000-yard season with the Browns in 2019, running his count of four-digit seasons to five. In 2021, a strange in-season divorce (featuring barbs from the WR’s camp thrown at then-starter Baker Mayfield) led him to the Rams. That change proved pivotal, with Beckham replacing an injured Robert Woods to fare well alongside Cooper Kupp. OBJ caught nine passes for 113 yards to lift the Rams over the 49ers in the NFC championship game and was on pace for a better Super Bowl showing before suffering the ACL tear. After extensive Beckham interest came in 2022, the Ravens gave him $15MM guaranteed in ’23. He signed a one-year, $3MM Dolphins deal in March 2024.
Teams Looking Into WR Odell Beckham Jr.
AUGUST 14: During an appearance on the Club Random podcast (video link), Beckham revealed he and Aaron Rodgers have spoken about a potential Steelers deal. Nothing is imminent on that front, although Pittsburgh has loomed as a potential suitor for a veteran receiver addition this offseason. Beckham would fit the bill, but it remains to be seen if any agreement will be reached.
AUGUST 13: Although Odell Beckham Jr. has enjoyed stretches that reminded of the stratospheric pace he was on early in his Giants tenure, the former superstar was never able to sustain that level. Injuries have played the lead role in that line of demarcation forming, and the wide receiver’s post-prime form has set in since he returned from a Super Bowl LVI ACL tear.
That tear was Beckham’s second since October 2020, and his comebacks with the Ravens and Dolphins did not closely remind of his prime work. Beckham did not finish the season with Miami last year, being cut in December and clearing waivers. While the 32-year-old pass catcher is near the end of a memorable career, he is not ready to hang up his cleats.
The 2014 first-round pick intends to play in 2025, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who notes “several” teams have shown interest. Considering we are in mid-August and Beckham buzz did not exactly flood NFL news cycles during the primary free agency period, it is safe to assume no one is aggressively pursuing the three-time Pro Bowler. But needs for supporting-cast talent or injuries at the position could lead OBJ back to a roster. He joins Amari Cooper as accomplished unsigned wideouts, after Keenan Allen reunited with the Chargers last week.
The Dolphins had Beckham on a one-year, $3MM deal last season — after signing him in May 2024 — but saw more injury trouble impact him. Offseason knee surgery delayed Beckham’s Miami debut by four weeks, as the Dolphins did not disclose the issue during the summer — as OBJ practice absences piled up without clear explanations. Upon being activated, Beckham caught just nine passes for 55 yards. Signed to be Miami’s No. 3 wideout alongside Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Beckham never played more than 20 offensive snaps in a Dolphins game. The team waived him after nine games.
Beckham’s Ravens stint brought much more notable work; he caught 35 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns. The Ravens did not re-sign him, however, opting to give the now-twice-extended Rashod Bateman more work in 2024. Beckham’s second-quarter injury in the Rams’ Super Bowl win kept him out for the 2022 season, as no deal — despite endless Cowboys connections — came to pass. He still fetched a $15MM full guarantee from the Ravens in 2023. Any Beckham deal now would be at or near the veteran minimum, given his injury trouble and minimal Dolphins production. OBJ would probably also need to work out for a team to display full health.
Certainly one of the most talented receivers of his era, Beckham showed tremendous promise early and has five 1,000-yard seasons on his resume (none since 2019). If he does not play another down, he will sit just outside the top 100 in receiving TDs (59) while ranking 118th in receiving yards (7,987). He is attempting what could amount to a final salvo to update those marks before calling it quits.
Dolphins, Odell Beckham Jr. Part Ways
DECEMBER 16: Beckham has indeed cleared waivers, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Although it only would have taken a roughly $200K payment to carry Beckham for the rest of the season, the NFL’s other 31 teams passed. For a second time, Beckham is now a free agent in-season.
DECEMBER 15: Pelissero reports Beckham has a shortlist of teams he is interested in joining for the closing weeks of the season (video link). That would of course become a moot point if he were to be claimed off waivers tomorrow. If Beckham clears and reaches free agency, though, he could look to join one of the teams he is targeting an agreement with.
DECEMBER 13: Odell Beckham Jr. entered 2024 with the expectation of serving as a complementary option in the Dolphins’ offense, but his role has still be smaller than anticipated. The veteran wideout will now see his Miami tenure come to an end.
Beckham asked to be let go, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The Dolphins will grant the request, he adds, meaning a move to the waiver wire will be forthcoming. Beckham is seeking an increased role on his next team, while playoff contenders may show interest in him as an insurance option for the stretch run. The Dolphins have now officially placed Beckham on waivers, where he will remain until Monday.
That will give teams plenty of time to contemplate putting in a claim; failing that, Beckham will become a free agent. The 32-year-old has made nine appearances since being activated from the PUP list in October. Over that span, however, he has registered only nine catches for 55 scoreless yards while handling a 20% snap share. Those figures could lead to several teams steering clear with respect to a waiver claim, although as Pelissero’s colleague Mike Garafolo notes, Beckham is only owed roughly $200K for the rest of the campaign and is not on track to hit any incentive thresholds.
The three-time Pro Bowler had a lengthy free agency spell this past offseason as he recovered from a knee operation. He took on a one-year Dolphins deal with a base value of $3MM in anticipation of handling WR3 duties on his latest team. With that not being the case, team and player will move on as Miami seeks to remain in contention for a wild-card berth. The Dolphins’ offense has generally been less reliant on Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in 2024 than in years past, although over the past two games that pairing has served as the focal point of the offense.
Beckham had a one-and-done stint with the Ravens last season, one in which he posted a career-high 16.1 yards per catch. It came as no surprise that he was unable to secure anywhere near the $15MM he received in 2023 on his most recent pact, but this campaign can nevertheless be considered a disappointment. A small window of opportunity will exist for Beckham to rebuild his value to an extent if he manages to catch on with a team for the closing stages of the season, though.
The former Rams Super Bowl winner said ahead of the 2023 campaign he was giving thought to retirement. He has managed one more contract since then, but his status following the current season (regardless of if it includes an opportunity with another team) will be worth watching with respect to his career outlook.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/13/24
Friday’s minor NFL moves:
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: S Jalen Pitre (story)
Miami Dolphins
- Waived (with non-injury settlement): WR Odell Beckham Jr. (story)
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: DT Jaquelin Roy
Odell Beckham Jr. Addresses Knee Surgery, Dolphins Deal
Odell Beckham Jr. was activated from the PUP list in time to make his Dolphins debut in Week 5. A knee injury prevented him from being healthy at the start of the campaign, something the veteran wideout recently expounded on.
“[After last] season, there was a lot going on in my life, personal life, businesses, all of that, that just kind of had me in a place where football wasn’t exactly a priority,” Beckham said (via Adam Beasley of Pro Football Network). “So football wasn’t exactly the first and foremost thing on my mind.
“Then I had to have a small clean up of the knee and just kind of going through that free agency process. You know, my agent and I went back and forth, whether we do it right after the season or we wait until free agency happens and I just feel like I waited too late.”
Indeed, it took until May for a deal between Beckham and the Dolphins to be worked out. That one-year pact has a value of $3MM, a reflection of what he is expected to produce with his latest team. The 31-year-old posted a 35-565-3 touchdown statline during his single campaign with the Ravens last year, and he is slated to handle WR3 duties in Miami behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. As Beasley notes, the Dolphins were on board with the timing of Beckham’s procedure knowing he would likely miss time at the start of the season. That allowed the former Rams Super Bowl winner to proceed with his Miami pact rather than continuing to wait out free agency.
Of course, the team’s offense is dealing with the absence of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the time being, and efficient passing attacks have not been present since his latest concussion. Beckham could help in that department once he returns to game shape after an offseason spent rehabbing from the surgery. Details on his recovery were scarce through the summer, with Miami electing to take a cautious approach which makes sense given the three-time Pro Bowler’s history of knee injuries.
A healthy slate the rest of the way on Beckham’s part would be welcomed for Miami’s offense as the team looks to build off Sunday’s win over the Patriots. That game brought the Dolphins’ record to 2-3, but improvement on offense will be needed moving forward. If Beckham can provide it, he could have a more traditional free agent process during the spring.