It was one thing to watch Odell Beckham Jr. go West and win a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.
It would be another to see OBJ wearing Jets green and white, taking flight and catching one-handed touchdowns on the Giants’ shared home field for New York’s ‘other’ franchise.
John Mara can put slight qualifiers on his interest in re-signing Beckham like he did at last week’s NFL Owners meetings, saying he’s “in favor” of it if Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll “could make it work.”
And if the Jets are willing to pay Beckham $10-15 million for the 2023 NFL season, then sure, Woody Johnson can have him.
But if OBJ’s market settles into a realistic range and a bidding war comes down to a couple million dollars, is Mara really going to let one of the most electric talents in Giants franchise history become a Jet?
A Jet?!
Thinking about it as a possible outcome makes sense. Saying it out loud sounds much worse.
Florham Park does seem like Beckham’s most likely landing spot at the moment, of course.
Aaron Rodgers’ recruitment of OBJ is a factor. So is the Jets’ likelihood to outspend the next team, not to mention Beckham’s multiple recent interactions with Jets brass in plain sight.
The Baltimore Ravens don’t feel like a major threat because they don’t have a quarterback and can’t give Beckham something he wants: New York.
A Rams return would be a more comfortable fit for OBJ than a trial in Charm City, particularly with Beckham now calling the state of Arizona home.
Maybe the Chiefs would re-enter the fray late for a low-budget, high-ceiling addition to Patrick Mahomes’ arsenal that maximizes the wideout’s on-field opportunity to shine.
If Beckham, 30, has any unfinished business, though, it isn’t about winning a championship. He already did that.
It is not about clearing his name and reputation. He already did that by escaping toxic Cleveland and a finger-pointing quarterback who has since become a journeyman.
Maybe it’s the opportunity to play with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Catching passes from Rodgers or Mahomes might just unlock an OBJ comeback season for the ages.
But if there is really any true unfinished business in Beckham’s career, it is the chance to come full circle, reclaim his place as a Big Apple star, and open a new triumphant chapter in his relationship with this fan base and franchise.
Make some big-time playoff catches for the team that drafted him after coming up short in his only postseason opportunity with the Giants in 2016.
Help Daniel Jones continue to ascend as franchise quarterback, compared to chronicling the decline of their last QB in 2018.
Let bygones be bygones for that ill-advised 2019 trade and make new memories with better support of the person and not just the player.
Come home.
It would be a terrific story, and in a perfect world, it would absolutely be the story that both the Giants and Beckham would want to make a reality.
The money needs to be right, though. And a $10-15 million price tag just doesn’t seem to add up for Beckham, even though he would obviously be worth that much and more if he stayed healthy and produced at his normal level.
Many league sources just don’t consider those numbers reasonable in the current market.
Veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen, 32, for example, just signed a three-year, $25 million contract with $14 million guaranteed with the Carolina Panthers. He played all 17 games last season for the Minnesota Vikings, catching 70 passes for 716 yards and six touchdowns, and got only $4.6 million guaranteed per year.
Beckham tore his ACL in 2020 and 2021 and didn’t play last season.
Not to begrudge OBJ the money he believes he should be paid. He is a unique talent who is worth even more than what he provides on the field.
Rodgers is already going to make the Jets the talk of the town. If they get Beckham, too, they might as well change the black and white ink in the New York tabloids to green.
Bringing Beckham back to Big Blue at least might keep some of the shine on East Rutherford — not to mention stave off the possibility of Beckham beating the Giants head-to-head at MetLife Stadium when they host the Jets.
More than anything, though, it’s clear that Mara would love to see this happen if the Giants can make it work.
Friends Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard remain a strong pull in the recruiting process. And Beckham remains plugged in to their day to day. (It would not be a stretch to imagine that OBJ was aware of the Giants’ plans to work out in Arizona this week.)
There are plenty of ways to see that it won’t work out, that the Giants chapter of Beckham’s playing career is closed for good.
But is Mara really going to watch him go to the Jets? Play in Mara’s home stadium for the Giants’ cross-state enemy? Possibly make his first-ever New York playoff run wearing green?
Like all of Beckham’s most famous catches, people will have to see it to believe it.
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