New York Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch break their silence over the recent trade of star receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Nearly two weeks after the trade of Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch have broken their silence.
At a joint news conference at the annual NFL owners meeting on Sunday, both Mara and Tisch discussed the trade of their star receiver.
“The way I look at it is, is what we got in return going to make our club better in the long run?” Mara said via Michael Eisen of Giants.com. “I think it will if we make the right decisions. It was not easy, that’s why it took this long. It took a long time to come to grips with the fact that we were moving him to another team. I just didn’t think that was going to happen all winter. I think what we are getting in return will make us better if we make the right decisions.”
The Giants ultimately sent Beckham to the Browns for a first-round pick (17th overall) and a third-round pick along with safety Jabrill Peppers. Big Blue now believes if they make the right decisions with what they have, the trade will eventually prove to be beneficial for the organization.
Mara also made it known to the media that he was on board. This comes even after signing Beckham to a long-term extension last summer.
“I will tell you that it was a reluctant approval on my part because I happen to like Odell very much,” Mara noted. “I recognize the unique talent that he has. It is not easy to trade that player to another team. I understand also that we have a lot of holes that we need to fill. If we make the right decisions with the first pick and the third pick, we obviously like Jabrill Peppers a lot which filled a need for us. I ultimately gave my 50 percent share of the approval.”
Having been quarterback Eli Manning‘s No. 1 target since he was a rookie in 2014, the Beckham trade took serious thought. It started with rumors upon rumors that fans tried to deny, but it ultimately ended with Beckham leaving New York.
Tisch touched upon that at the news conference as well.
“This was not a decision that was made quickly without a lot of thought and a lot of conversation discussing with both Dave [Gettleman] and Pat [Shurmur] and the impact, what it would mean to the club,” Tisch said. “It is a tough decision. One of the toughest we have had to make in a long time. Many, many years.”
Beckham will be reuniting with his college teammate and close friend Jarvis Landry, who was traded to the Browns last offseason. He’ll also be working with quarterback Baker Mayfield, who broke the rookie record for single-season touchdown passes with 27 in 2018.
All New York Giants fans can do now is hope general manager Dave Gettleman, head coach Pat Shurmur, Mara, and Tisch know what they’re doing with this trade.
