Odell Beckham Jr. said he does not know why the New York Giants “gave me the run along” after the team released him on Tuesday, adding that he “coulda really been playing this year somewhere and making a impact.”
In an Instagram comment, Beckham wrote that he “didn’t see this one,” that “they got me,” and that “they won.” He said he came in humbly, took the veteran minimum, earned his spot, and “didn’t say nothing bout no (money).” He called himself a grown man and said the cut “didn’t hurt me but it did when they cut me like that,” because part of him felt he “shoulda known better.”
What he said broke him was coming home to his son, who was happy, unaware of the release and talking about his job and jersey No. 13. Beckham wrote that his son said he likes
No. 3 better, and that the hug afterward — “idc what happened daddy ur the best and I love u” — was the part that landed. He closed by saying he is getting ready for whatever is next and “spreading luv n meantime.”
The comment followed a second stint that produced no regular-season production. Beckham signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract in June after a workout in East Rutherford, eight years after the Giants traded him to the Cleveland Browns. The deal reunited him with John Harbaugh, who coached him in Baltimore in 2023. He made the 53-man roster after catching seven passes for 76 yards in the preseason.
Through three games, he played 20 offensive snaps and was targeted once, with no receptions. That target came from Jameis Winston on a deep ball in the first quarter of Sunday’s 12-7 win over the Tennessee Titans, a game in which Beckham played six snaps. Fans at MetLife Stadium later chanted his name. His snap counts were 11 in Week 1, three in Week 2 and six in Week 3.
Harbaugh said Wednesday that the arrangement “just wasn’t working for us” and that the Giants “just weren’t getting enough.” He said he wanted to get Beckham on the field more, put the shortfall on the team, and described the conversation as tough.
Harbaugh added that the decision was not driven by the weekly questions about Beckham’s role or by the stadium chants, adding that it was “not Watergate.” The release opened a spot for punt returner Braxton Berrios, who had exhausted his practice-squad elevations.
Beckham, 33, does not play special teams and is not expected to return to the practice squad.
Beckham also texted Josina Anderson that he had just been released, and later that "one door closes and another opens." He missed the 2025 season while serving a six-game PED suspension, and last caught an NFL pass with the Miami Dolphins in 2024.
In his first five seasons with the Giants, he totaled 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Odell Beckham Jr. on New York Giants release: 'Gave me the run along,'
