Odell Beckham Jr. Says He Felt 'Disrespected' After Giants Trade
Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham still is bitter about the trade that sent him from the Big Apple to Cleveland, telling GQ Magazine that he felt disrespected by the deal.
The New York Giants traded Beckham in March to Cleveland in exchange for a first-round pick, a third-round pick in this year's draft and safety Jabrill Peppers. He is entering the first season of a five-year, $90 million deal he signed last summer.
“Like, after everything I’ve done for them,” Beckham said. “This is me being honest: This team has not been good for the last six years. Period. Even the year we went to the playoffs and everyone was talking about this and that. And we went there, and I didn’t have a great playoff game. Don’t get me wrong, I had a terrible game. But I left the game with seven targets, and I’m supposed to be your number one receiver. I left the game with seven targets. We lost. They scored 40 points. It’s just all bad. I felt disrespected, because I felt like I was a main reason at keeping that brand alive.”
Beckham spent his first five NFL seasons with the Giants, catching 390 passes for 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns. But the Giants only made the playoffs once during his time with team.
Beckham admits he did not have a great playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, after which he was criticized for leading teammates to a trip down to Florida days before the game.
Beckham also said that the first time he heard from Giants coach Pat Shurmur after the trade was a text message.
"But then to be called like that and then be texted by your coach and be like, “Oh, yeah, I heard the news.” Yeah, you heard the news? It happened because of you. The reason I'm gone is because of you. It was just tough because of the way I initially felt."
"I can't do this anymore. I just can't do it," Beckham added. "I wasn't happy. I wasn't in a good place."
