Odell Beckham Jr. was signed by the New York Giants this week not just because they are in the market for receiver depth, but because they are also in need of leadership.
The lack of veteran leadership throughout the building has been a huge problem for the Giants, and believe it or not, Beckham, now 33, is expected to be a leader.
But first, Beckham has to re-establish himself as a player. He did not play in 2025 and has only played in 37 games since 2021. He has looked good in practices so far, but the youngsters aren’t going to look up to him if he’s just a shell of his former self.
“You can’t be just okay. You’re Odell Beckham,” head coach John Harbaugh said this week. “You’ve got to come out here, and you have to be performing at a high level in workout, you’ve got to be performing at a high level in practice. You got to be a guy capable that we can see would have a chance to make a difference in NFL games. You have to be that kind of player. Who knows better what kind of player that is than Odell Beckham?”
Beckham knows that his ability to play football will open up all the other opportunities for him.
“I had to do this. This is for myself; this is for my son. I want to lead by example. I want him to be able to see who I am, not who I was. Just know that we never give up in our house. You go after what you believe in. You believe in yourself. At the end of the day, God is going to take care of the rest,” he said.
This week, Beckham began both his new on-field and off-field roles. First, by showing the Giants that he can still compete, run routes, and catch the ball; and second, by taking the wide receiver room out for dinner at 4 Charles Prime Rib in Manhattan.
OBJ is not only here to further his own career, but to handle some unfinished business he has with the Giants. In his five seasons with Big Blue from 2014-2018, the Giants qualified for the postseason just once, in 2016, and got bounced right away. Beckham had a horrible game, and the Giants dealt him a year later.
This time, he wants to win and, as a former Super Bowl champion with the Los Angeles Rams, hopes to show these Giants the way.
“I hate losing. I hate it, I hate it. All I ever wanted to do was win. That’s all I want to do now,” said Beckham.
He intends to put in the work. He knows there are no shortcuts when it comes to success in this business.
“Everybody wants to win a Super Bowl. You’re not coming in to have a good season and then get to your offseason. We all want to win that Super Bowl. That’s the goal. Knowing it takes a lot to do that. I’ve been there before. I’m just trying to be whatever I can for this team and be the best version of myself,” he said.
Beckham is off to a good start.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. off to fast start in new leadership role
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By John Fennelly, Giants Wire | USA TODAY Network
