The New England Patriots reportedly tried to trade for New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. last offseason.
Last offseason, it was evident that the New York Giants and star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t have a great relationship. Beckham just came off an ankle injury that sidelined him for the majority of 2017, and much of the Giants organization wasn’t thrilled with his attitude off the field.
It got to the point where Beckham was reportedly on the trading block. Teams that meddled in trade talks with the Giants for OBJ were supposedly the Los Angeles Rams and the Cleveland Browns. Nothing ever came to fruition, and Big Blue ended up making OBJ the highest-paid receiver in the NFL. The Giants signed the three-time Pro Bowl player to a five-year, $95 million extension right before the 2018 regular season began.
However, a new report came out on Monday, courtesy of Chris Simms of Pro Football Talk Live. Within this report, we learn of a new team that aggressively pursued Beckham last year.
Chris Simms reports on @PFT_Live that the Giants almost traded OBJ during the season…to the Patriots ? pic.twitter.com/kzctxYwmo3
— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) February 18, 2019
“But here’s the big thing that I found out towards the end of the year, really, more than anything with Odell Beckham Jr.: The Giants were going to trade him, and I think they were really looking and listening to all offers,” Simms said. “You know what really stopped it? And I think this is going to shock people.
“This is from everything I know with multiple sources, the thing that stopped the trade conversation with Odell Beckham Jr. is because the team that was most aggressive in pursuing him was the New England Patriots. The New England Patriots were trying to get Odell Beckham Jr. all last offseason. That didn’t work out and I think the Giants got cold feet and said, ‘Wait … New England wants him? Uh-oh, maybe he’s better than we thought. Maybe we should just keep him on our own instead of it being thrown in our face and him going to win a Super Bowl with the Pats.'”
It would make sense for the Pats to go after OBJ from the Giants. They needed a receiver, and who better to work with future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady than OBJ? The Brady to Beckham connection would definitely haunt Giants fans, and Big Blue realized that as time went on.
