John Harbaugh put the Odell Beckham Jr. release on the New York Giants.
Speaking on Wednesday, a day after the club cut the 33-year-old receiver, Harbaugh said the reunion never found a foothold.
"We just weren't getting enough. It just wasn't working for us," Harbaugh told reporters on Wednesday. "I wanted to be able to give more; I wanted him to be able to do more. I wanted to get him on the field more.
"I'm not hiding anything. It's not Watergate. We're trying to be the best team we can be this week."
He told reporters the Giants "needed to get more" and to "put it on us." Harbaugh said MetLife Stadium chants for Beckham and the weekly questions about his role played no part in the move. The conversation with Beckham, he added, was a tough one.
Beckham signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal in June after a workout in East Rutherford, returning eight years after New York traded him to Cleveland and reuniting with the coach who had him in Baltimore in 2023. He earned a 53-man roster spot with seven catches for 76 yards in the preseason. The regular season never opened a lane.
Through three games, with the Giants 2-1, Beckham played 20 offensive snaps, drew one target, and finished with zero receptions.
The club needed the roster space for returner Braxton Berrios after exhausting his practice-squad elevations. Beckham does not play special teams and is not expected to join the practice squad.
The ending is awkward because the relationship did not sour. Harbaugh called Beckham a great friend and said he loves him. Beckham has long described Harbaugh as one of his favorite coaches and said before camp he could live with giving his best even if it did not work.
After the cut, OBJ texted Josina Anderson that he had been released and that "one door closes and another opens."
Kayvon Thibodeaux called him a "legend" who will make a statement somewhere. Isaiah Likely, a teammate in Baltimore and New York, said he loved playing with him. What was framed as unfinished business lasted three quiet games and is now over.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' John Harbaugh on Odell Beckham Jr. release: 'Just wasn't working'
