Giants Release Odell Beckham Jr. After Three Catchless Games in Second Stint

The New York Giants released veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, ending his second stint with the team after just three games. Beckham, whom the Giants drafted in the first round back in 2014, had returned this year on a one-year deal to reunite with new head coach John Harbaugh, but he leaves without a single catch to show for it. Here’s what happened and what’s known about his situation now.

Why did the Giants release Odell Beckham Jr.?

The Giants released Beckham because he had become a marginal piece of the offense, logging under 20 total snaps across three games without recording a reception. He was stationed behind Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney, and Malachi Fields on the receiver depth chart and did not appear on special teams either. One report characterized the situation plainly: barring injuries elsewhere at the position, it would have taken an injury for Beckham to see a meaningful role the rest of the season.

How did Beckham perform in his three games back with the Giants?

Beckham finished his 2026 stint with zero receptions on a single target across three games, a figure every outlet covering the move agrees on. That lone target came in the Giants’ Week 3 matchup against the Tennessee Titans, a 12-7 New York win. Reports vary slightly on his precise snap total, but all describe a workload under 20 offensive snaps spread across the full three-game stretch — a marginal role for a player who was once among the league’s most productive receivers.

What roster move led to Beckham’s release?

The release was a corresponding transaction: the Giants needed to clear a 53-man roster spot for returner Braxton Berrios, who had exhausted his practice-squad game-day elevations. Berrios had handled New York’s punt- and kickoff-return duties through the first three weeks via elevations from the practice squad, a mechanism the NFL limits to a set number of uses per player per season. Once Berrios hit that cap, the Giants had to sign him to the active roster to keep him returning kicks — and they opened the spot by parting with Beckham.

How did Beckham end up back with the Giants?

Beckham returned to the Giants on a one-year, $1.3 million contract signed June 1, 2026, after a private workout with the team on April 20. The deal reunited him with new head coach John Harbaugh, hired by the Giants on January 20, 2026, who had previously coached Beckham during the 2023 season with the Baltimore Ravens. Beckham made New York’s 53-man roster out of training camp in late August, setting up the reunion that lasted three regular-season games.

What is Beckham’s history with the Giants franchise?

Beckham remains one of the most productive receivers in Giants history from his original run with the team between 2014 and 2018. He ranks second in franchise history in receiving yards (5,476) and fourth in both receptions (390) and touchdown catches (44) — numbers built before the Giants traded him to the Cleveland Browns in 2019. This brief, catchless second stint doesn’t change that standing.

What has Beckham’s career looked like since leaving the Giants?

Beckham’s career since leaving the Giants has been shaped by injuries, roster turnover, and a suspension, following stops with the Browns, Rams, Ravens, and Dolphins. He tore an ACL with Cleveland in October 2020 and tore the same ligament again with the Los Angeles Rams during Super Bowl LVI in February 2022. He played the 2023 season with the Baltimore Ravens (35 catches, 565 yards, three touchdowns) before Baltimore released him in March 2024. He then signed with the Miami Dolphins, opened 2024 on the physically-unable-to-perform list following a procedure, was activated in October, and appeared in nine games (nine catches, 55 yards) before the two sides mutually parted ways that December. In October 2025, Beckham accepted a six-game suspension under the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy, stemming from what he has said was an abnormal testosterone reading in a test taken while he was with Miami in 2024; Beckham has said he never knowingly took a banned substance. That suspension kept him out of football into the 2025 season, ahead of this year’s return to the Giants.

What’s next for Odell Beckham Jr.?

Beckham is now an unrestricted free agent, and he has indicated he wants to keep playing elsewhere in 2026 rather than sign back onto the Giants’ practice squad. Media speculation about which teams might have interest has circulated since his release, but no next destination has been confirmed as of this writing, and any such reporting should be treated as speculation rather than a settled outcome. At 33, and carrying the history of two prior ACL tears and last year’s suspension, whether — and where — Beckham plays again in 2026 remains an open question.

Three games, one target, zero catches: that’s the entire record of Beckham’s second Giants stint, a quiet end to a reunion that began with real optimism under a coach who knew him well. His franchise legacy from 2014 to 2018 is untouched by it, but his next chapter, if there is one this season, is still unwritten.