John Mara, Brian Daboll show interest in Odell Beckham

Former New York Giants star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was the subject of plenty of speculation in 2022. Unsurprisingly, his name has also popped up quite a bit in press conferences around the 2023 NFL Owner’s Meetings.

He was brought up with John Mara on Monday, and he certainly seemed open to bringing Beckham back into the fold.

“We certainly haven’t closed that door,” Mara said with regards to signing Beckham. “That’s going to be up to Joe and Dabes.

“I certainly would be in favor of that if they can make it work. That’s always the trick.”

For his part, Brian Daboll mentioned Tuesday that he’s texted with Beckham “once or twice” so far this offseason, but added that those conversations are “private”.

Raptor’s Take

Honestly, a lot of this is probably “Coach/GM talk”, speak a lot, but saying little. Of course the Giants are interested in Beckham — and every other free agent. There’s probably more interest there than in players at other positions because he plays a position of need for them. Likewise the connection to the locker room with Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard is likely significant as well.

Beckham has also drawn significant interest from the Jets, as GM Joe Douglas has been in contact with Beckham’s agent, Kansas City Chiefs, who are reportedly pursuing both Beckham and DeAndre Hopkins, and the Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams “loves” Beckham and wants him back.

Beckham was reportedly asking for $15-20 million during the season, but has reduced his asking price of late. But as each man asked about Beckham have noted, money is important and the Giants currently have about $3.3 million in cap space, per OverTheCap. Health will also be a key contributor to any deal Beckham signs, considering he tore his right ACL twice in a little over a year.

It would be a surprise if Beckham is still on the street once training camps convene this year. He’ll probably be playing for someone this year, and we’ll just have to wait and see who that is.