Speaking to reporters at the NFL owner’s meetings, New York Giants co-owner John Mara continues to sound like someone with seller’s remorse on the major trade which sent All-Pro wideout Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns. Mara also sure sounds like he’s still a fan of Beckham and what he can do for Cleveland.
He talked about his reluctant decision to approve the trade, which sent Jabrill Peppers and two draft picks (a 1st and a 3rd in 2019) to the Giants for Beckham.
“I will tell you it was a reluctant approval on my part because I happen to like Odell (Beckham Jr.) very much, and I recognize the unique talent that he has,” Mara said via Sports Illustrated. “It’s not easy to trade that player to another team… I hope he has a great career with the Browns. It makes it a little easier that he’s not in our conference.”
Mara acknowledges there were issues within the locker room with Beckham’s eccentric and sometimes needy personality, but that wasn’t what drove the deal.
“There were always extra issues,” Mara said via Newsday. “But I thought they were manageable ones, particularly given the talent.”
The deal is difficult to understand from a Giants point of view. If the team is indeed focused on building around the aging Manning, it would stand to reason that keeping the elite, All-Pro wideout would be paramount to making the offense work.
The venerable owner seems ready to roll with the risk,
“I think, if we make the right decisions (using the acquired picks), we’ll be better off in the long run,”
Good luck with that, Mr. Mara. You’re going to need it.
