Odell Beckham Jr.'s Giants' Comeback is Not Without Precedent

There's no telling how long wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s comeback will last. Yet Monday's low-risk, high-reward signing that brings him back to the New York Giants comes with some very intriguing elements.

Beckham, 33, has always exhibited a relentless drive and competitiveness that refuses to let him give in.

He's been hinting at this return for nearly a year despite being out of the NFL since suffering a leg injury during his last appearance with the Miami Dolphins in December, 2024.

The drive to extend his playing career is evident in the impressive, intense workout videos he's posted on social media over the past several months.

Doubters simply need to go back three years to when Beckham Jr. made his first pro comeback with the Baltimore Ravens - yes, under then-head coach John Harbaugh, who recently joined the Giants.

The receiver had missed all of the 2022 season because of a serious knee injury he suffered while helping the Los Angeles Rams win Super Bowl LVI.

Beckham played in 50 percent of the snaps over 14 appearances (with six starts) for the Ravens. He registered a modest 35 receptions and three touchdowns.

However, he also posted a career-high 16.1-yard average on 565 receiving yards and 28 first downs for an impressive 80 percent conversion rate.

In addition, he averaged a personal-best 4.4 yards after the catch, although this statistic hadn't been recorded before 2018.

The Ravens released him after the season, with Harbaugh noting at the time that the team was dealing with a salary-cap crunch.

Beckham underwent offseason knee surgery before joining the Dolphins, with the team seeking a veteran No. 3 receiver who would take an incentive-laden contract. But he remained out for the first four weeks of the season, then caught nine passes for 55 yards in nine games before being sidelined again.

He had two recent workouts for the Giants, attempting to prove that he still had enough skills for Harbaugh to roll the dice a second time and give Beckham a chance to finish his career where he opened his NFL run with three straight All-Pro selections over his first five seasons (2014-18).

"I'm pretty sure that he can make a team in the National Football League right now, but can he make a difference?" Harbaugh said last month.

"It's something he wants to do. Is his body going to hold up in the way he wants it to, and all those things are questions that need to get answered for anybody at that age."

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