Odell Beckham Jr.’s reunion with the team that brought him into the NFL was a short-lived one, as the New York Giants are releasing the wide receiver. The move was made after just three games into his second stint with the team and with Beckham failing to make any sort of impact. He did not record a reception over the three games, drawing just one target, which came in Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans.
The transaction is practically forced upon the Giants, due to the NFL practice squad rules in relation to fellow wideout Braxton Berrios, who also serves as the team’s punt returner. Berrios is on the practice squad but has already been elevated to the 45-man game day roster in each of the first three weeks of the season. That is the maximum for a single player over an entire season.
Thus, Berrios would either have to remain on New York’s practice squad for the rest of the year, which risks exposing him to being signed to another team’s active roster, or the Giants could permanently elevate Berrios to the main roster. It appears they are going with the latter, which means another player has to be released, with that player being Beckham.
Beckham could be added to New York’s practice squad, but that isn’t expected to be the case for a 33-year-old with a lengthy résumé of Pro Bowl selections and All-Pro teams. Beckham could also sign with another team, but the Giants were the only team to express interest in him when he was a free agent during the summer.
After spending all of the 2025 NFL season out of football, Beckham was hoping to revive his pro career in the place it started. His last NFL action before this season came during a nine-game stint with the Miami Dolphins in 2024, which also ended with him being released midseason. Beckham failed to make much of an impact with Miami, catching nine passes for 55 yards and no touchdowns.
Beckham’s last notable NFL stint came with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, when he played under current Giants head coach John Harbaugh for the first time. Beckham caught 35 passes for 565 yards, which was second-most on the team, with three touchdowns. That came a year after missing the 2022 season while recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Super Bowl LVI, when he was a Ram.
After being drafted in the first round by the Giants in 2014, Beckham spent his first five seasons with the club, becoming a fan favorite and one of the most popular players in the sport. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year, made three Pro Bowls, and was a two-time All-Pro selection across his first three seasons.
However, injuries would derail what could have been a Hall of Fame career. From 2017 to 2021, Beckham’s season ended early due to injury four times. Outside of his six seasons with the Giants over two stints, Beckham also played three years with the Cleveland Browns, and one year each with the Rams, Ravens, and Dolphins.
Beckham rejoined New York this season knowing that he was no longer a featured player. That was evident over the first three games as he barely saw the field. He played a total of 20 snaps across the three games, seeing 11 in Week 1, three in Week 2, and six in Week 3.
He didn’t play any snaps on special teams, which is part of the reason the Giants favor Berrios. The Giants have played five wide receivers so far this year, with all of them getting at least double the snaps that Beckham had.
If this ends up being the end of Beckham’s career, then he’ll go down as one of the most prolific Giant receivers ever. His 5,476 receiving yards are second-most in team history, trailing only Amani Toomer (9,497), while his 390 catches and 44 receiving touchdowns are both fourth-most.
Across his 11-year career, Beckham has 575 receptions for 7,987 yards and 59 touchdowns.
Beckham’s release is the second noteworthy transaction in two days for the New York Giants. After losing starting quarterback Jaxson Dart for likely the rest of the season due to a knee injury, the team traded for Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy on Monday. The 2024 first-round pick had been relegated to Minnesota’s third string behind starter Kyler Murray and veteran backup Carson Wentz.
The new-look Giants, with McCarthy and without Beckham, will next take the field in Week 4 on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. New York’s 2-1 record has it tied with the Philadelphia Eagles atop the NFC East Division.
