Odell Beckham Jr.'s Giants Release Explained by John Harbaugh, 'I'm Not Hiding Anything'

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh was asked about the team's release of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. during his press conference with reporters on Wednesday.

Harbaugh's answer was in response to a question about whether the "attention" Beckham drew from the public and media, despite being the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart, had any factor in his release. He emphatically denied that had anything to do with it.

"No, no, that's all I really need to answer on it. No. It's best for the team, that's it. And if you think it's anything else, then you don't know me, and you don't know what we're doing here. It's nothing more than that. It's not doing enough for our offense. It's not doing enough for our team. So we need to make a change.

"And he's not thrilled with it either. He wants to play. So there's no deep conversation, there's no conspiracy theory. We're trying to win games. We're trying to put the best 48, the best 53 out there for us, for our team right now, and that's it. So any speculation about all that, that's just noise. Nobody cares about that. It's the last thing I care about, you know?

"So that's it. I told you what it is, and that's what it is. I'm not kidding. I'm not hiding anything. It's not Watergate, you know? Trying to be the best team we can be this week, you know? We had a couple guys give us some things, and we'll see if it works. I'd like to get a few more points. We'd like to score some points in the red zone, you know? That's why we're doing what we're doing, so we can be better. And that's it."

Beckham was only on the field for 20 snaps over three games. Harbaugh provided more comments on the matter.

"Had a great conversation with Odell and it's tough, but we just weren't getting enough, it just wasn't working for us. Like 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, and for whatever 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 told reporters leading into last Sunday's 12-7 win over the Tennessee Titans that "Sunday would be great" to get Beckham more involved. That did not happen, as Beckham had just one catchless target on a rainy, windy day.

A reporter asked Harbaugh on Wednesday what changed between then and the game.

"Well, I think I said I hoped he would get more chances, that's what I said, so nothing changed. I did hope he would get more chances. And he didn't, and 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 gonna do. Nothing about Odell. Nothing 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."

Beckham starred for the Giants from 2014-2018, amassing four 1,000-yard seasons, making three Pro Bowls and earning two All-Pro Second Team spots. He was one of the game's most electric and explosive players during his heyday and quickly became a fan favorite, especially after his epic one-handed touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys in 2014.

Unfortunately, serious injuries have taken their toll dating back to the 2017 season, when he suffered a season-ending fractured left ankle. He also suffered a twice-torn ACL in his left knee in Oct. 2020 and Feb. 2022.

Over 11 seasons with five teams (122 games), Beckham has still caught 575 passes for 7,987 yards and 58 touchdowns.

A phenomenal comeback story was in the making when Beckham signed with the Giants on a one-year deal. Beckham hadn't played since 2024 with the Miami Dolphins and really hadn't played full-time since 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens.

Beckham made the Giants' 53-man roster and was active for the team's first three games but rarely saw the field. Now, he's free to sign elsewhere.

Dan Duggan of The Athletic, David Syvertsen of Ourlads and Connor Hughes of SNY provided more insight into the release.

The 2-1 Giants now move ahead to Sunday, when they'll host the Arizona Cardinals.