The football world is still processing Odell Beckham Jr.'s surprise trade to the Cleveland Browns and that goes double for OBJ himself. On Thursday, the 26-year-old receiver shared a heartfelt goodbye to his first home in the NFL.
"So many mixed emotions and feelings. This is all, a lot to process but it is reality," he wrote on Instagram. "I want to thank the NY giants organization for giving me an opportunity to do what God put me on this earth to do , I want to thank the organization and the owners for everything and especially giving me my first chance to be a part of the NFL."
He closed the note with a thank you to New York City and its fans.
"To the New Yorkers and REAL NYG fans... you guys will always have a place in my heart, a beautiful city .. a beautiful place Thank You for every last moment and experience," he wrote.
Beckham was traded for almost nothing (a first-round pick, a third-round pick and safety Jabril Peppers) just over six months after he signed a five-year, $90 million contract extension with the Giants. There's no way to look at the trade where you don't come away thinking the team is objectively worse than it was before the trade. The only conclusion to draw is that Beckham was traded due to tension between himself and the Giants organization. That potentially negative connotation prompted the NFL Network's Kimberly Jones to share her heartwarming OBJ story.
