The Odell Beckham Jr. trade winds continue to swirl despite not being based in any sort of reality, and retired NFL wide receiver Greg Jennings has heard enough of it.
While appearing on Fox Sports 1’s “Undisputed” on Thursday, Jennings said the New York Giants should “absolutely not” entertain the idea of trading Beckham, and that the media should ease up on the negative coverage of the superstar.
“Absolutely not,” Jennings said when asked if the Giants should trade Beckham. “This is one of your best players when healthy and when given a great opportunity to compete at a high level. And when I look at Odell Beckham, I look at a young man who . . . we judge off of everything we’ve seen in the past. but we overlook all the good and the pros about him.”
Jennings wasn’t as complimentary of quarterback Eli Manning, however, suggesting that some of Beckham’s decreased numbers are a product of not just injuries, but Manning’s failure to push the ball down the field.
“The fact of the matter is, Odell Beckham is one of the best receivers in all of football when healthy and when [he has] a quarterback that can get him the football,” Jennings said. “That’s the problem in New York.”
Manning actually graded out as one of the better downfield passers in the league in 2018, but his number of attempts was substantially lower than in years past. Part of the reason for that was Beckham’s seeming inability to separate in double coverage early in the year.
Regardless of where anyone places blame, the Giants are better off with both Beckham and Manning on the team, which is why both will be there when the 2019 season gets underway.
