Legendary former New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is still on the hunt for a new opportunity in 2025. Beckham Jr. didn’t pan out with the Miami Dolphins last season. Some Giants fans are clamoring for the three-time Pro Bowler to return to the city that made him a star. However, Giants beat writer Art Stapleton quickly shut down the idea.
Art Stapleton Calls for Odell Beckham Jr. to Retire as a New York Giant
Stapleton, who covers the Giants for USA Today, wrote on X, “I don’t know if [Beckham] is done playing, but there’s no question in my mind that when he officially decides to retire, he should do so with the Giants.
“Is that with a last hurrah on a minimum deal? Not sure [of that],” Stapleton wrote. “Is it a one-day contract to come back into the alumni fold? Seems to be the most logical reunion.”
I don’t know if @obj is done playing, but there’s no question in my mind that when he officially decides to retire, he should do so with the Giants.
Is that with a last hurrah on a minimum deal? Not sure if that.
Is it a one-day contract to come back into the alumni fold? Seems…— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) June 25, 2025
Stapleton’s post sparked conversation among Giants fans, who were predictably divided on the topic. Several Giants fans look back fondly on his time in New York, calling for him to sign a one-year veteran’s minimum deal.
“Bring OBJ home! One year vet minimum! Who says no?!” one fan wrote in response to Stapleton’s original post.
Bring OBJ home! One year Vet Minimum! who says no?! #NFL #Giants https://t.co/s6tEn5bLuu
— GothamSportsGuy (@Gothamsportsguy) June 25, 2025
Stapleton weighed in quickly, though, writing, “I think both sides say no to different aspects of that scenario.”
I think both sides say no to different aspects of that scenario. https://t.co/a5EDn3pqTV
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) June 25, 2025
More fans suggested that he could be a good mentor to budding superstar wide receiver and fellow LSU alum Malik Nabers. In Nabers’ rookie season with the Giants, he had 109 catches for 1,209 yards and seven touchdowns.
But there’s another loud section of the Giants’ fanbase that doesn’t share the love and nostalgia for Beckham other supporters do. In fact, they don’t want him back by any means.
“He had [two] great years and [one] good year on a rookie deal and left because he was a diva and was shown the door,” one fan wrote. “Never understood the obsession with him as a Giants fan. He’s literally done nothing since being gone.”
Beckham has played for four different teams – the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams (where he did win a Super Bowl Ring), Baltimore Ravens, and Dolphins – since leaving the Giants. His individual success hasn’t been that great, only topping the 1,000-yard receiving mark just once (1,035 yards with the Browns in 2019) in six subsequent seasons.
If Beckham does find a home for the 2025 season, then he’ll likely be a depth option at best.
That, though, might be just what the Giants need. New York finished with the second-worst offense in the NFL last season, according to PFSN’s Offense+ metric. Outside of Nabers, the Giants’ receiving corps is thin with Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton set to line up alongside Nabers.