Giants General Manager Dave Gettleman’s stunning decision to trade wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns comes after saying repeatedly that that wasn’t his plan.
In January, Gettleman said, “We didn’t sign him to trade him.”
In February, Gettleman said, “We didn’t sign Odell to trade him. That’s all I need to say about that.”
In March, Gettleman traded Beckham.
The decision to sign Beckham to a huge contract, pay him $21.459 million for one season, and then trade him seven months later doesn’t make a lot of sense, and Giants fans are eager to hear Gettleman’s explanation.
Gettleman’s explanation is likely that he had to say he wasn’t trading Beckham to drive up the trade market. The Steelers made it clear that they were trading Antonio Brown and ended up getting only a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick. The Giants got a first-round pick, a third-round pick and Jabrill Peppers for Beckham.
But the question remains why Gettleman wanted to trade Beckham at all. Beckham was by far the best player on the roster Gettleman inherited when he took over the Giants. Draft a franchise quarterback and pair him with Beckham, and the Giants could build a great team for years to come. Instead, Gettleman has done what he said he wouldn’t do, and the Giants are rebuilding from the bottom.