The Unexpected Odell Trade
May 7, 2019
Late at night on March 12, 2019, NFL fans, but more specifically New York Giants fans, were completely astounded as they received the news on their phones. The New York Giants traded star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns in a trade that surprised many Giant fans. Odell was traded to the Browns for a 2019 first-round draft pick (No. 17 overall), a 2019 third-round pick (95th overall) and safety Jabrill Peppers. This trade cannot be truly evaluated until this year’s draft; if the Giants use the draft picks to draft exceptional players they can reverse the negative reactions of the trade. Odell is a 26 year old wide receiver who is a 3-time pro bowler and had 1,052 receiving yards from 77 receptions with 6 touchdowns last season. He was drafted 12th overall in the NFL draft class of 2014 by the NY Giants, and he has played his entire career as a Giant.
The Odell trade was unexpected to say the least for many reasons, mainly the fact that the Giants publicly declared that they will back Odell one hundred percent. In August Odell resigned to the Giants with a five year $90 million contract. The Giants fully believed that he was the future of the franchise. On January 27th, Giants general manager, Dave Gettleman, is quoted at a press conference stating, “We didn’t sign Odell to trade him.” In 2018 Dave Gettleman was also quoted stating, “You don’t give up talent”. Both of these quotes have furiously been used to taunght Gettleman since the trade.
Many Giants fans were outraged with this trade, especially due to the fact that this trade was just the most recent controversial transaction made by the Giants. Just weeks prior the Giants traded defensive end Olivier Vernon to the Browns for offensive guard Kevin Zeitlerand. They also refused to franchise tag top 3 safety Landon Collins, who was recently signed to the Washington Redskins. Fans were also upset because the Giants traded an elite receiver and one of the league’s best players for seemingly nothing. Odell was beloved by Giant fans; they were promised and envisioned a future in which Odell was a Giant for his entire career, evidently the Giant franchise rashly decided against this future.
The recent transactions made by the Giants have not only fans of the Giants but football spectators around the nation wondering, what is the Giants’ plan? Some believe that the Giants have no plan and that these recent offseason moves are just a product of an incompetent front office and ownership. Others have speculated that the Giants are entering a rebuilding phase and are trying to clean house to make room for future talent. This theory is probable except recently Gettleman has expressed his belief in quarterback Eli Manning. Although Eli Manning has had an amazing career with the Giants, he is currently 38 years old and has been a declining player for years. So if the Giants are rebuilding, a declining quarterback, who will probably retire in the near future, does not fit into the franchise’s future. Gettleman has been highly criticized for his plan for the Giants which appears unapparent, but he has responded saying, “Trust me, we got a plan, Everybody wants answers now, You gotta trust me,” and “It’s not my responsibility to tell you guys what I’m doing … that’s not my job. That’s not my responsibility.” The Giants have made their plan very hard to depict; only time will tell what the Giants plan for their future.