Odell Beckham Jr. has always had a deep connection with the Manning family, going back to his high school days in New Orleans. He attended Isadore Newman High, the same school that graduated all three Manning brothers (Cooper, Peyton, and Eli) and Cooper's son, Arch, who will be a hot commodity in next April's NFL draft.
When Beckham returned to the New York Giants as a free agent this spring after eight years away, he reconnected with his old quarterback and quasi-mentor.
"I saw him. It was like early, early on, I saw him, and we talked for a long time," OBJ told reporters on Friday as the Giants prepared for their regular season opener versus the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night.
Beckham spoke about his long relationship with Eli and his Hall of Fame
brother, Peyton, which began some 20 years ago in New Orleans.
"I've been throwing with Eli since I was 13 years old down at Newman, and Peyton and him always used to fight for, ‘No, I'm throwing to him.’ Because I was there with kids who weren't necessarily going to play D1. So, they would always battle between who got to throw to me," Beckham recalled.
Manning's presence had to make OBJ's return a little smoother. Going home isn't always easy, but Manning is. He's the one player who acts as the team ambassador for Giants of all eras.
"So, I got to see Eli and talk to him about his kids and how old they are, and I talked about my son," Beckham said. "That's my brother for life. And Eli's a good jokester, so just seeing him and maybe trying to catch him with an old prank that he used to get me with – it was fun."
Beckham and Eli played five seasons together for Big Blue from 2014, when Beckham was the team's first-round draft pick, until he was traded to Cleveland after the 2018 season.
As Giants, they combined for 390 completions for 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. tells hilarious Eli, Peyton Manning story
