What the Giants Trade Says About the Black Athlete

In a blockbuster deal, the New York Giants traded star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr (OBJ) to the Cleveland Browns for 1st and 3rd round picks, and starting Safety Jabrill Peppers. Analysts argue whether or not OBJ was as explosive this season as he was prior to the injury. Nonetheless, the fact still remains, despite Saquon Barkley in the backfield, OBJ still demanded the attention of every Defensive Coordinator and their top Cornerback. Not to mention, just last year the Giants resigned him to a 5-year $90 million contract with $65 million guaranteed. And let’s just say their starting quarterback, Eli Manning, is on the decline… not necessarily playing at 2007 or 2011 peak playoff levels, which is somewhat expected… he just finished his 15th season with a depleted offensive line. In fact, most mock drafts have them drafting a quarterback in the first round.

So why trade arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, when you just drafted a great every-down running back in Saquon Barkley, and your 15-year quarterback is playing like he should’ve stopped playing at year 13? 

Make it make sense. You can’t, because it doesn’t.

You decide to ship OBJ out of town… your dancing-loud-playmaker, yet arguably the best wide receiver in the league. And you decide to keep your over-the-hill quiet quarterback who, let’s face it, isn’t going to win you any games in his 16th season, and now he just lost his best weapon on the outside? You’d think this was the Cleveland Browns or the Detroit Lions making such personnel decisions, and not a storied franchise like the New York Giants. 

Sure, you can make the argument that the Giants need to free up cap space to fill holes on the defense and other key positions… aka rebuild. But there’s not enough rebuilding in the world worth trading the best wide receiver in the league.

We’ve seen the NFL jeopardize winning over and over in order to make a point. The entire NFL did it with Colin Kaepernick. The Steelers did it with Le’Veon Bell, despite him statistically being the best running back over the past few seasons. You can make the argument that James Connor had a great season as his starting replacement, but ultimately they didn’t make the playoffs, and it’s hard to imagine them missing the playoffs with Bell on the field. And OBJ, vocal during the season about Eli’s play and not getting the ball, and other comments throughout his career as a Giant, sent him packing. Black athletes make plays, but whenever they question the front office and make legitimate demands regarding social justice (Kap), their salary (Bell), or who’s throwing them the ball (OBJ), both good and bad teams, are willing to lose in order to make a point. The Giants are willing to change their entire roster, literally, and likely have several losing seasons in a row to prove a point.

So we look ahead, and from a distance, the pastures appear to be pretty green for OBJ as a Cleveland Brown. He reunites with one of his best friends and former LSU teammate Jarvis Landry. He also reconnects with his former LSU and Giants wide receiver coach Adam Henry. If Baker Mayfield can continue to progress with now the best 1-2 punch on the outside in OBJ and Landry, not forgetting the Kareem Hunt pick up, it’ll be hard for Cleveland not to win the division and be a force in the playoffs.

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