Why the Giants Had No Room for Odell Beckham Jr. in the Offense

John Harbaugh says "put it on us" after the team cut the receiver, who had just 20 offensive snaps and one target through three games.

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh said that things just weren't working out with getting wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. involved in the offense. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh wants for every player he puts on his team’s roster to find a role and work out successfully.

That includes wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who after a year out of the game in 2025 so he could get his mind and body right, tried to make a comeback with the team that first drafted him.

Unfortunately for Beckham, who received just 20 snaps on offense and one pass target  through three games, the Giants coaches  just couldn’t come up with a role for the team’s 2014 first-round draft pick and that led to the decision to release the receiver this week.

“It just wasn’t working for us,” Harbaugh said on Wednesday. “I told him I wanted to be able to get more. I wanted to be able to do more, get him on the field more. 

“Whatever the reason, we weren’t able to do it. Put it on us. We weren’t able to get it done, but at this point in time, that’s kind of where we were, and we needed to move on.”

Harbaugh, who once called Beckham one of his favorite people (he had the receiver in Baltimore in 2023) said it was difficult for him to break the news to the receiver that they were moving on without him. 

“I did hope he would get more chances, and he didn’t,” Harbaugh said. “That’s where we stood, so I felt like that being the case, we’re not going to be able to get it done roster spot-wise. We need more out of that spot, and that’s what we’re going to do. Nothing about Odell that he could do in that sense.

“It’s just we weren’t able to get it done, make it fit, make it work, whatever you want to call it, and I was hoping we could, and we didn’t.”

According to SportRadar, the Giants have used 11 personnel, which is one running back, one tight end and three receivers, on 80 offensive plays this season (26th in the league) and have averaged 104.3 yards, the yardage ranking 30th in the league.

When the Giants go to 11 personnel, their three receivers are Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney and Malachi Fields.

With Beckham having been the fourth receiver in the pecking order plus with him not contributing on special teams and with the coaches also leaning more into heavier personnel sets, i.e. 12, 13, and 22, there simply was no room for Beckham in what the Giants were doing on offense.

Although things didn’t work out for Beckham and the Giants, Harbaugh had nothing but good things to say about the receiver. 

“I hope he lands somewhere. I mean, he’s a great friend.I love the guy and, you know, I hope he lands somewhere,” Harbaugh said. “It just wasn’t working here and that’s really all that needs to be said.”

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