he was overly criticized by the New York media and
constrained in so many ways by the Giants. “They
built something that they now wanted to control,”
he says, “and there is no need to try to control it.”
On the topic of his old quarterback, Beckham
has nothing bad to say. He and Eli Manning were
“cool” but not friends, teammates who didn’t “hang
out outside” of football. He laments, however, that
coaches tended to feature him only on third downs,
that the offense never schemed for his abilities, that
he ran slants so frequently that defenders would call
out his routes presnap. The Giants are “stuck in an
older mind-set,” Beckham says. Then he clarifies:
He’s not trying to take “shots—just speaking facts.”
Last May, after Landry was traded to Cleveland,
the two old friends met up with the new Browns QB
to train at USC. With Beckham outside, Landry in
the slot and Mayfield running around firing spirals,
they all dreamed, somewhat jokingly, of playing to-
gether. “We didn’t think it was possible,” Landry says.“We wanted it to be. Like: ‘Bro, damn. What if... ’ ”
Beckham, deep down, had long believed the Giants
would trade him. He says this explains why he never
bought a house in the New York area. Then last Oc-
tober, five weeks after signing a five-year, $95 million
extension that made him the highest-paid receiver in
the league, he aired his frustrations to ESPN, leading
to a fine from the team. He was convinced he was gone.
When Dorsey called Gettleman on March 11, it
marked the first conversation the two GMs had had
about Beckham, and it was straightforward. Dorsey
made an offer; Gettleman countered; Dorsey hung
up. This was 4:30 p.m. Dorsey told his fellow staffers,
“Damn, we may have a chance.”
Beckham was heading to a restaurant in Paris when
he got the call from Gettleman. He didn’t want to an-
swer. He knew he was getting traded; he just didn’t
know where. The conversa-
tion, he says, lasted seconds.
In a situation like his, Beck-
ham says, a star player will
often get a chance to discuss
his preferred trade destina-
tions. But he was never asked.
In fact, he claims to know
that the Giants received bet-
ter offers and still chose to
send him to Cleveland, out of
spite, hoping to stain his ca-
reer with the enduring stigma
that comes with playing for
the Browns. “This wasn’t no
business move,” he says. “This
was personal. They thought
they’d send me here to die.”
(The Giants declined to com-
ment on Beckham’s exit.)
These, though, are not
those same Browns. Beck-
ham believes he’s perfectly
matched with Kitchens, an imaginative schemer, and
Mayfield, who reflects Beckham’s frenetic energy
on the field and has already defended the receiver
against criticism.
“I’ve never had that before,” Beckham says.NOW HE HAS his best friend again too. Landry
cried when he heard the news in March. He as-
sured Beckham that in Cleveland the past would be the
past, that he’d be allowed a fresh start. “Just come be
FRE you,” he said. Then Beckham put down an offer on the
D^ V
UIC
H
Eli Manning?
He and
Beckham were
“cool,” but not
friends, the
receiver says.
And the Giants’
coaches?
“Stuck in an
older mind-set.”