Odell Beckham Jr. Signs With Giants: 5 Iconic Moments From His Legendary First Stint

Odell Beckham Jr.’s pro football career may not have started out quite as well as he hoped, thanks to a hamstring injury, but he quickly turned it around.

Now he’ll get a chance to go out on a much higher note while returning to the place where his NFL career started.

The free agent wide receiver signed with the New York Giants on Monday, allowing him to re-join the franchise that made him the 12th overall pick in 2014.

In order to author a feel-good storybook ending, Beckham must prove that he can not only make the 53-man roster, but also that he will remain durable enough to produce.

The hamstring injury that he suffered in his first spring with the Giants prevented him from appearing in the preseason and cost him the first four games of his rookie campaign.

Over his 10-year NFL career, injuries to his ankles, quad, groin, knees, shoulder, and other areas limited him to 119 regular-season games and sidelined him for the entire 2022 and 2025 seasons.

When he was able to play, Beckham was as explosive as any receiver in the league. He was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year and was named to one of the NFL’s All-Pro teams in each of his first three seasons with the Giants.

In 2017, a fractured ankle sent him to IR after four games, but he responded with his fourth 1,000-yard campaign the year after before being traded to the Cleveland Browns following the 2018 season.

Here are five of Beckham’s most memorable moments during his first tenure with the Giants.

The Catch, Nov. 23, 2014

Nov 23, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham (13) catches a one handed touchdown against by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr (39) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The legendary one-handed grab against the Dallas Cowboys on national television that made Beckham a worldwide superstar and still has hordes of youth football players imitating the play to this day.

Beckham fought off cornerback Brandon Carr down the right sideline, fully extended upward with his right hand while leaping backward and somehow snared a 43-yard TD pass from Eli Manning on Sunday Night Football.

He finished the night with 11 catches for 146 yards and two TDs in the loss. The Catch was ranked as the fifth greatest reception of all time when the NFL celebrated its 100th season in 2019.

Triple Threat, Dec. 14, 2014

Beckham began his assault on the Giants’ record book in a win over Washington.

He came within one catch of their single-game reception record while putting up 12 catches for 143 yards and three touchdowns (10, 35, and 6 yards).

The game brought him to 972 receiving yards for the season, passing the Giants rookie mark held by tight end Jeremy Shockey (894 in 2002).

Blue Bayou, Nov. 1, 2015

Nov 1, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham (13) celebrates after a touchdown during the second quarter of the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Giants 52-49. | Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Beckham, a New Orleans native and former LSU star, celebrates his return by registering the second of his two career three-touchdown games in a frenzied shootout.

The Saints’ Drew Brees tied an NFL record with seven TD passes and outgunned Manning (who threw six TD passes). Manning connected with Beckham eight times for 130 yards in that scoring battle, the receiver scoring twice on throws from inside the five in the first half, and then on a 50-yard completion in the fourth quarter.

The 200 Club, Oct. 16, 2016

New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Beckham fought off a hip pointer and caught eight passes for a career-high 222 yards (his only 200-yard game) and two touchdowns, including a 66-yard score on 4th-and-1 with 1:24 left to beat the Baltimore Ravens.

He also posted a 75-yard TD catch in the second quarter. Beckham’s effort allowed the Giants to snap a three-game slide and register the 700th victory in team history.

It also started a six-game winning streak that eventually helped lift them into the playoffs.

Double Trouble, Oct. 7, 2018

The receiver, always known for his multi-dimensional skills and all-around athleticism, finally got a chance to show off his arm on a 57-yard TD pass to running back Saquon Barkley that stunned the Carolina Panthers.

Beckham took what appeared to be a screen pass near the left sideline from Manning and quickly hit Barkley, who caught the ball nearly 20 yards downfield and along the right sideline before sprinting into the end zone.

(Beckham unleashed a 49-yard TD pass against the Chicago Bears in the season finale for his only other career scoring strike.)

In the fourth quarter, Beckham caught a 33-yard TD pass and finished with eight receptions for 131 yards.

It was the third time in NFL history that a player caught a TD pass and threw for a TD in the same game.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.

Add us as a preferred source on Google