Odell Beckham Jr. eyes NFL comeback after Fanatics Flag Football Classic
Odell Beckham Jr. hasn't played an NFL game since Week 14 of the 2024 season, when he made one catch for one yard as a member of the Miami Dolphins.
The 33-year-old receiver is hoping to use his participation in the inaugural Fanatics Flag Football Classic to showcase he deserves a chance to return to the league.
"Looking forward to hopefully getting an opportunity to play this year, and hopefully, this is kinda just a starting point," Beckham Jr. told FanDuel TV's Kay Adams in an interview ahead of the event.
Beckham has before returned to the NFL after sitting out an entire season. He elected not to sign with a team in 2022 while rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl 56 win over the Cincinnati Bengals before inking a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens for the 2023 season.
Beckham's 2025 absence wasn't known to be injury related, and the veteran receiver noted his "body feels good" ahead of the Fanatics Flag Football Classic.
Beckham has played for five teams since being selected by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. The LSU product quickly blossomed into a star with the Giants, averaging 96 catches for 1,374 yards across his first three NFL seasons while scoring 35 touchdowns and earning all three of his career Pro Bowl nods.
Beckham last played for the Giants in 2018, but the 33-year-old acknowledged he would be interested in potentially returning to New York to team up with second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.
"That sounds great," Beckham said when Adams floated the possibility. "If that opportunity presents itself, I would love to do that. [I'd] be excited about that."
Dart - a first-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft - performed well as a rookie, completing 63.7% of his passes for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions across 12 starts and adding 487 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
Beckham was complimentary not only of Dart's play, but also his personality.
"He's a good dude," Beckham said of Dart. "He's young. He likes to dance. I like all that. They look like they have fun."
The Giants are believed to be in the market for a receiver after Wan'Dale Robinson joined the Tennessee Titans in free agency, and new Giants coach John Harbaugh coached Beckham during his lone season with the Ravens in 2023.
Still, it isn't clear whether the Giants - or any other NFL team - will be interested in giving Beckham a chance to revive his career after he posted just nine catches for 55 yards across nine games during his most recent season in 2024.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Odell Beckham Jr. want to make NFL comeback after flag football game