Giants Cut Odell Beckham Jr. After Receiver Logs Zero Catches in Three Games

The New York Giants released Odell Beckham Jr. on Tuesday, ending the veteran wide receiver's reunion with the franchise that drafted him after he failed to record a single catch in three games.

Beckham, 33, played 19 offensive snaps and was targeted just once during his second stint with the Giants. That target came in Sunday's 12-7 win over the Tennessee Titans, when a Jameis Winston pass toward him was nearly intercepted.

The move was driven by roster math as much as performance. The Giants had to make a decision this week on wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who had exhausted his practice squad elevations and serves as the team's punt returner. New York signed Berrios to the 53-man roster Tuesday.

"He had to earn his spot," coach John Harbaugh told Beckham when he rejoined the team in the spring, warning that a summer release was possible.

Beckham did enough to make the initial 53-man roster as the fifth receiver earlier this month and was expected to have a role in the offense. That role never materialized.

A source told ESPN that Beckham is not expected to be added to the Giants' practice squad at this time.

The Giants also signed wide receiver Charlie Jones to the 53-man roster to fill the spot of outside linebacker Brian Burns, who was placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL on Sunday.

Beckham arrived in East Rutherford hoping to settle what he called "unfinished business" with the organization that selected him 12th overall in 2014. He had not played in the NFL since the 2024 season, when he caught nine passes for 54 yards in a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins.

His first run with the Giants produced three Pro Bowl selections and one of the most memorable catches in league history — a one-handed grab against the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie. He spent five seasons in New York before being traded to Cleveland in 2019.

The release leaves Beckham's future uncertain. He turns 34 in November and has appeared in just four games over the past two seasons, with nine receptions total. A.J. Hawk said on ESPN he would not be shocked if another team signs him, but no suitors have emerged publicly.

For the Giants, the decision signals a priority on special teams and roster flexibility over nostalgia. Berrios, a seventh-year veteran, has handled punt return duties and gives the team a reliable option at a position where depth was thin.