EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 08: Odell Beckham #13 of the New York Giants is carted off the field after sustaining an injury during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers during an NFL game at MetLife Stadium on October 8, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the New York Giants 27-22.
(Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

Odell Beckham Jr. apparently considered concluding his football career after his 2017 season-ending ankle fracture.

The Odell Beckham Jr. era in the history of New York Giants football was nothing short of a rollercoaster. From slant routes that would turn into long touchdowns the second the ball touched his hands to the Josh Norman situation along with the kicking net fiasco, there was always a story involving the star wide receiver.

But recently, we earned a scoop on what was really going on inside Beckham’s head during his tenure in New York. In a sit-down with Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, Falcons running back Todd Gurley, and Giants legend Victor Cruz, Beckham noted that he weighed retirement after his 2017 season-ending ankle fracture. He additionally pondered over his battle with mental health issues amid his time with Big Blue.

“I said this in college, I said, ‘I fear the day that they make this game a business and not what I love,'” he said. “And when I seen that for the first time after breaking my ankle, like I thought about not playing no more, like this is not really it for me because they’ve ruined the game of football for me a little bit.

“I struggled to deal with that. Depression, mental health issues, being in New York, not really liking it.”

Beckham’s Giants tenure wasn’t all peaches and cream towards the end. After that 2017 season in which he played just four games, he only took part in 12 matchups in 2018, citing quadricep issues. And when he was healthy, his on-field production seemingly dipped. After averaging 108.8 and 96.7 receiving yards per game respectively in 2014 and 2015, Beckham averaged 75.5 yards per game in 2017 and 87.7 in 2018.

This all led to the Giants shipping him off to Cleveland nearly seven months after signing him to a long-term extension in August 2018.

Ryan Honey is a staff writer and host of the Wide Right Podcast.