{"id":367341,"date":"2026-10-07T23:42:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T23:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/367341\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T23:42:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T23:42:16","slug":"odell-beckham-jr-joins-vikings-after-admitting-he-never-wanted-to-leave-ny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/367341\/","title":{"rendered":"Odell Beckham Jr. Joins Vikings\u2014After Admitting He \u2018Never Wanted To Leave\u2019 NY"},"content":{"rendered":"

NFL star<\/a> Odell Beckham Jr.<\/a> is heading to Minnesota<\/a>\u2014just weeks after his much-hyped return to the New York Giants<\/a> came to an abrupt end.<\/p>\n

The 33-year-old wide receiver is joining the Minnesota Vikings\u2019 practice squad, according to multiple reports, giving the NFL veteran another opportunity to get back on the field after the Giants released him following a brief second stint with the franchise.<\/p>\n

Beckham\u2019s move to Minnesota comes just over a week after New York<\/a> parted ways with the three-time Pro Bowler, who had returned to the Giants earlier this year in what was billed as a full-circle reunion with the team that launched his NFL career.<\/p>\n

His homecoming ultimately proved short-lived. Beckham appeared in the Giants\u2019 first three games of the season but played just 20 offensive snaps and was targeted only once, failing to record a reception.<\/p>\n

NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. is heading to Minnesota\u2014just weeks after his much-hyped return to the New York Giants came to an abrupt end.Robert Sabo\/NY Daily News via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Giants head coach John Harbaugh later explained that the team simply wasn\u2019t getting enough production out of Beckham\u2019s roster spot and decided it needed to make a change.<\/p>\n

The split was particularly striking given Beckham\u2019s emotional comments about returning to New York earlier this year.<\/p>\n

After rejoining the franchise in June, the athlete opened up about his longtime attachment to the city, admitting in July that he had never actually wanted to leave New York in the first place.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat drew me back to New York and the Giants is deeper than football. Well, first, I never wanted to leave; it’s just my home and there’s no place better than New York,\u201d he said during an appearance on Bilt\u2019s Rent Free game show.<\/p>\n

Beckham, who was selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, spent the first five seasons of his professional career with the team before he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2019.<\/p>\n

In the years that followed, the Louisiana<\/a> native suited up for several franchises, including the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens, and Miami Dolphins.<\/p>\n

Yet New York appeared to retain a special significance for the athlete.<\/p>\n

While discussing his Giants comeback over the summer, Beckham even suggested that he hoped to spend the final years of his NFL career with the franchise, saying that he wanted to help deliver another championship to New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to win one for the Giants more than anything, and I’m here to give it my all, give it my heart, during my last couple of years,\u201d he said at the time.<\/p>\n

Those plans changed dramatically after only three regular-season games. Following his release, Beckham indicated on social media that he had not expected the Giants to cut him, while expressing frustration over how little he had been used during his return to the team.<\/p>\n

The veteran had signed a nonguaranteed $1.3 million deal with New York and earned a place on the Giants\u2019 roster following training camp, despite having sat out the entire 2025 NFL season because of injuries.<\/p>\n

His limited role, however, left him buried on the depth chart as the Giants turned to other options at wide receiver.<\/p>\n

The 33-year-old wide receiver is joining the Minnesota Vikings\u2019 practice squad, according to multiple reports, giving the NFL veteran another opportunity to get back on the field after the Giants released him following a brief second stint with the franchise.Rich Graessle\/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesBeckham\u2019s move to Minnesota comes just over a week after New York parted ways with the three-time Pro Bowler, who had returned to the Giants earlier this year in what was billed as a full-circle reunion with the team that launched his NFL career.Mike Stobe\/Getty ImagesHis homecoming ultimately proved short-lived. Beckham appeared in the Giants\u2019 first three games of the season but played just 20 offensive snaps and was targeted only once, failing to record a reception.Bryan Bedder\/Getty Images for Fanatics<\/p>\n

Now, Beckham will get another chance with Minnesota.<\/p>\n

The Vikings are bringing the veteran onto their practice squad as they navigate their own needs at wide receiver, marking yet another stop in Beckham\u2019s lengthy NFL career.<\/p>\n

The move also brings an ironic twist to his season. Before the 2026 campaign began, Beckham and the Giants faced the Vikings during preseason preparations. Just months later, Minnesota has become his new NFL home.<\/p>\n

The relocation also marks another chapter in a career that has repeatedly taken Beckham around the country\u2014and influenced where he has called home off the field.<\/p>\n

During his original run with the Giants, Beckham rented a five-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom property in Weehawken, NJ, which offered sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline and amenities such as a three-car garage, private elevator, and extensive security features.<\/p>\n

The property last changed hands for just under $2.3 million in 2024, according to records.<\/p>\n

Beckham has largely opted to rent while moving among NFL teams, although he did purchase a mansion in Ohio<\/a> after being traded to the Browns.<\/p>\n

He paid $1.62 million for the four-bedroom, seven-bathroom Columbia Station property in 2019 before selling it for $2.7 million in August 2022.<\/p>\n

It remains unclear where Beckham will choose to live while embarking on his latest chapter with the Vikings. What is clear is that his hoped-for storybook ending in New York has been put on hold.<\/p>\n

Less than three months after declaring that there was \u201cno place better than New York\u201d and suggesting that he wanted to close out his career with the Giants, Beckham is once again packing up for a new NFL opportunity\u2014this time in Minnesota.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. is heading to Minnesota\u2014just weeks after his much-hyped return to the New York…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367342,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[7452,5800,9,24,55,54,2683,56,99681,1115],"class_list":["post-367341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-celebrity-homes","tag-minnesota","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-new-york-giants","tag-ny","tag-professional-athlete-homes","tag-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}