In a Sunday NFL Countdown segment called “Odell Unfiltered,” Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. gave an interview alongside Lil Wayne to ESPN’s Josina Anderson about how the season has gone so far. Simply put, it hasn’t been great for the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver. In the interview he explains what is holding him back in the struggling New York offense (everything), whether Eli Manning is one of the main problems for the team (he doesn’t know) and if he’s happy on his current squad (“it’s a tough question”), among other topics.
While this level of candor might be expected from a player who isn’t shy of expressing his emotion on his chest, moments of brutal honesty like this are still a bit shocking to hear, especially from someone who plays in a league that tries to pride itself in producing a team-first sport.
His frustrations and concerns might very well be justified. The Giants have scored more than 20 points just once in their last four games, and while he’s tied for fifth in receptions, Beckham is outside of the top-15 in receiving yards, and top-30 in targets, among all players. Oh, and he hasn’t scored a touchdown yet this season. Still though, an interview with this many shots fired is hardly a good look, no matter how badly New York is wasting the talents of this incredibly gifted receiver. The Giants face off against the Panthers later today so it’ll be interesting to see if the team reacts to the interview before, during or after the game.