New York Giants

The New York Giants were so comprehensively beaten by the Philadelphia Eagles in a 48-22 smackdown Sunday, fans of the team got bored with the action on the field and started wondering if the performance would sour Odell Beckham Jr. on potentially signing with the team.

The general consensus, at least among salty Giants fans on Twitter, was that Beckham would choose to stay away:

There were, of course, far more interesting and relevant things from the actual game worth discussing. A beat-up defense was shredded to the tune of 437 yards from scrimmage and 253 yards on the ground, calling into question defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale's game plan on that side of the ball.

The offense was arguably just as poor, failing to consistently string together drives because of poor execution on third-down attempts (4-of-13).

Daniel Jones wasn't awful (18-of-27 for 169 yards and one score; four sacks taken; 26 rushing yards and one touchdown), but he didn't match the big-play output of his counterpart on the other sideline, Jalen Hurts, who threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another.

Jones, of course, doesn't have the weapons that Hurts possesses in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith out wide. The team's most dangerous playmaker, Saquon Barkley, was limited because of a neck injury and only had 11 touches (48 yards from scrimmage).

That is where a player like Beckham could help. But the veteran free agent is likely only going to go to a team where he could make a postseason run, and the 7-5-1 Giants are hardly even guaranteed to reach the playoffs after going 1-4-1 in their past six contests.

The Giants are trending in the wrong direction. It may cost them a reunion with Beckham. At the very least, Sunday's performance against the Eagles (12-1) was ugly, and it has people wondering if the Giants' hot start was simply a mirage.

New York Giants star Saquon Barkley is considered "legitimately 50-50" to play in Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter:

"Most people do expect him to play, but I'm told he really is a game-time decision," Fowler added. "They are probably going to call this sometime early Sunday."

Barkley has been limited during practice this week because of a neck injury. Head coach Brian Daboll told reporters Friday that the running back is "a little sore."

Barkley played 88 percent of offensive snaps in the Week 13 tie against the Washington Commanders and was the only running back to see carries.

The 25-year-old is in the midst of a bounce-back season for the Giants, totaling 1,055 rushing yards, 241 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games. He's easily surpassed the 856 yards from scrimmage and four total touchdowns in 13 games last year.

Most importantly, Barkley hasn't missed a game yet this year after struggling with injuries the past two seasons.

The one-time Pro Bowler was limited to just two games in 2020 because of a torn ACL, while an ankle injury cost him four games in 2021. Barkley has looked like his old self in 2022, but a neck issue could keep him off the field for an important divisional battle against the Eagles.

New York (7-4-1) is looking to hold on to a wild-card spot in the NFC, even if the squad is unlikely to catch Philadelphia (11-1) in the standings.

If Barkley is unable to play, Matt Breida would likely see the majority of backfield touches after totaling 112 rushing yards and 83 receiving yards in 12 games this season.

There is "considerable doubt" about the health of Odell Beckham Jr. as he prepares to make his NFL return.

Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reported there is some concern about whether Beckham will be a major factor this season given it's already December and he's yet to take a snap since tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI.

The injury was Beckham's second ACL tear in the same knee in as many seasons. Given the fact he is just now nearing 10 months since the injury, it would be a surprise if Beckham were anything close to resembling his former All-Pro self.

Under the most optimistic of circumstances, Beckham will have a chance to play just five regular-season games before the playoffs begin. That would require him to sign early next week and then be on the field just says later—a highly unlikely scenario. It's possible Beckham does not wind up playing more than one or two regular-season games, which further complicates contract talks with teams.

Vacchiano's report indicated Beckham has been seeking $20 million per year. That's not happening. There is no circumstance in which Beckham signs a deal at anything resembling that number; he would arguably be lucky to get half of that figure.

Beckham has not made a Pro Bowl since the 2016 season and has just two 1,000-yard seasons in the last five years. Even before the injury issues, there were legitimate questions about whether Beckham was the same type of dynamic star who burst on to the scene with Hall of Fame-caliber numbers.

While there has been no shortage of interest in Beckham since he was cleared for a return, teams are going to be understandably cautious in negotiations. A one-year deal doesn't do much for teams given the uncertainty of Beckham's health, so expect a two-year deal under team-friendly terms that allows the 30-year-old to truly show out in 2023.

Some close to the situation reportedly believe that free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. wants to return to the New York Giants.

ESPN's Jordan Raanan said that in talking to people, he believes Beckham "wants to be a Giant" due to the "lure" of making the New York City area a home for his family and winning in a big market.

Raanan added that it is a matter of whether the Giants want to pay Beckham the type of money he desires, and Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports noted that a league executive called the G-Men "the longest of longshots" because of doubts that they will want to make a big financial commitment.

The 30-year-old veteran suffered a torn ACL in the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals last season, and while it has been a long road back, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported this week that people close to the situation said OBJ has been completely cleared to return.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll told reporters that the team had a "good visit" with Beckham this week, but that was only the first of three known stops for the star receiver.

ESPN reported that Beckham was scheduled to meet with the Buffalo Bills on Friday and the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, making the Giants, Bills and Cowboys the top candidates to sign him.

Beckham spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Giants after they made him the No. 12 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, and he was spectacular out of the gates, earning Pro Bowl selections in each of his first three seasons.

OBJ also finished with at least 90 receptions, 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns in each of those seasons, but injuries slowed him considerably over the next two years, and he was traded to the Cleveland Browns.

When the relationship between Beckham and the Browns deteriorated, he was waived last season, and the Rams signed him, which turned out to be a huge move for their Super Bowl run.

In eight regular-season games for the Rams, Beckham recorded 27 receptions for 305 yards and five touchdowns. He raised his level of play even more during the playoffs with 21 grabs for 288 yards and two scores in four games.

The Giants, Bills and Cowboys are all playoff teams currently, and Beckham could provide any of their offenses with a huge boost down the stretch if he is indeed healthy enough to play.

It can be argued that the Giants have the most glaring need at wide receiver among those teams since Sterling Shepard and Wan'Dale Robinson are both injured, Kadarius Toney was traded and Kenny Golladay was a non-factor.

The Bills and Cowboys could use complementary receivers, but with Stefon Diggs and CeeDee Lamb, respectively, they can win with or without OBJ.

If Beckham does indeed have a desire to go back to New York, the Giants would be wise to take advantage of that and give quarterback Daniel Jones a much-needed top weapon in the passing game.