Not everyone pulling for the Giants hated the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. Tiki Barber actually believes Big Blue made the correct decision to move the superstar wide receiver because Beckham wasn’t giving them any other choice.
“I think Odell wanted to go and [general manager] Dave Gettleman and the New York Giants acquiesced,” the former Giants great said of the March deal that sent Beckham to the Browns for the 17th pick in the draft, the second of two Browns third-round picks and safety Jabrill Peppers. “He’s in a better place. And I think it may actually be OK for the Giants he’s not here.
“He wasn’t reaching his potential. He felt like he was being constrained, either by the offensive play-calling or whatever it may have been. He wasn’t happy.”
Even after receiving a $95 million contract extension in August, Beckham didn’t appear content, going on ESPN in the fall and questioning quarterback Eli Manning and how he was being used.
“I thought it was the right thing [to do]. I don’t know if it was the best thing [to do], because he’s a brand and iconic in ways I don’t know if a Giant player has ever been since [Lawrence Taylor],” said Barber, taking part in the CC Sabathia celebrity softball game at the Stadium. “But football is not about an individual. It’s about a team. And I think the Giants are trying to build a great team right now.”
Barber is a fan of Gettleman’s offseason, even his surprising first-round pick of Daniel Jones, the Duke quarterback most projected going far later than as the sixth-overall pick. Barber believes the questions about Jones are “unfounded and a little bit harsh.”
“If you love somebody, you take him where you can get him,” Barber said. “Whether or not Dave Gettleman knew whether or not someone was going to take him before 17 is irrelevant. They love Daniel Jones. If you ever met him or had any conversations with him like I have, you see why.
“He’s calm. It’s interesting. If you would’ve asked me … 13 years ago [before Barber retired], what it takes to be successful as a quarterback in the NFL, I wouldn’t have said it’s Eli’s demeanor. But it’s Eli’s demeanor that it takes to be successful. Daniel Jones is kind of a clone of that in a lot of ways. He has his own personality, but there are a lot of similarities.”