After visiting the New York Giants a week ago for a workout and a physical, veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. remains a free agent.
A former 12th overall pick for the Giants in 2014, Beckham was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2019. Now over half a decade later, the fan favorite could finish his career with the Big Blue.
While Beckham has been vocal about wanting to return to New York, Jordan Raanan of ESPN said in an article this week, there may not be a place for him on the 53-man roster.
“I think if we do anything, just being honest, it has to make sense for the Giants. It has to make sense for him,” Giants Head Coach John Harbaugh said, according to Raanan’s article.
While the Giants don’t have a ton of high-level talent outside of the returning Malik Nabers, they do have depth.
Darius Slayton, the Giants’ longest tenured player who replaced Beckham as a 2019 fifth rounder, is on his third contract with New York and is guaranteed $9.75 million in 2026, according to Spotrac.
Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III signed with the Giants this offseason to compete for time in the slot to replace Wan’Dale Robinson. Both also have guarantees attached to their one-year deals.
The Giants also traded into the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday for Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields, a physical outside option who’s strong through the catch. They gave up three picks to do so.
The Giants had a second-round grade on Fields, Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic said.
Beyond the additions and guarantees, former third rounder and Biletnikoff winner Jalin Hyatt is still floating around on the roster. Despite being strikingly ineffective through his first three NFL seasons (36 receptions for 407 yards), he may be one of a few Brian Daboll castoffs to receive another chance under Harbaugh.
Former New England Patriots All-Pro Gunner Olszewski is also on the roster and has guarantees, but is best used as solely a returner, his 102-yard performance against the Dallas Cowboys’ second stringers in last year’s season finale notwithstanding.
Olszewski’s inclusion would make seven, assuming that each of the preceding six players already on the roster make it through cutdown day. In each of the past three seasons, the Giants have only carried six receivers on their initial 53-man roster. In each of the last two seasons, that six has included Olszewski as a returner.
New York has also featured an undrafted free agent receiver on each of their previous two initial 53-man rosters, Bryce Ford-Wheaton out of West Virginia in 2024 and Beaux Collins out of Notre Dame in 2025.
The Baltimore Ravens, the team which Harbaugh is coming over from, has also carried six receivers in each of their last three initial 53-man rosters.
There are obvious pros to a Beckham reunion. Beckham played for Harbaugh in Baltimore in 2023, meaning he’d have familiarity with much of the new support staff along in addition to long-term Giants staffers.
From a public relations standpoint, there are plenty of Giants fans with fond memories of Beckham. From his iconic one-handed catch against the Cowboys to his antics with a kicking net, Beckham is one of the most memorable and beloved Giants in recent history. His signing would instantly impact ticket sales, or at least training camp attendance, positively.
However, on the field, Beckham hasn’t played a snap since 2024 with the Dolphins. In that season, he grabbed just nine catches for 55 yards. That kind of production is a decent game for Nabers; those stats came across nine games for Beckham.
The 33-year-old has also been injury prone since leaving the Giants, suffering multiple ACL tears and not playing a full season since his first year in Cleveland.
Beyond the production and injury risks, Beckham also offers no special teams upside, which teams often look for out of the last receiver on the roster. Ford-Wheaton, for example, had a game-sealing touchdown in 2024 against Seattle off a blocked field goal.
While the Giants need help at receiver, they don’t necessarily need more depth. Even if they did, Beckham would be an imperfect fit as a receiver sitting at the backend of a roster. He’s worth a look at training camp but not worth a contract with guaranteed money.