New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman is drawing heavy criticism for trading star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday, but the executive is insisting that it is for a greater purpose.
“With the first-round draft choice, that gives us (pick) six and 17,” Gettleman said, according to Kevin Patra NFL.com. “As we continue to build this team, you need draft pick capital. This trade enabled us to do that.”
The Giants have certainly stockpiled some picks for next month's NFL Draft, but what does it all mean for a franchise that just traded away one of the best players in the league?
“You can win while you build a roster,” Gettleman said. “We do have a plan, and this is a part of it.”
Like much of what Gettleman has done since taking over as Giants general manager in December 2017, that statement doesn't really make all that much sense. If New York is trying to win now, why would it trade arguably the best player on its roster?
To be fair, the Giants' haul for Beckham was not bad, as they landed a first-round pick, a third-round pick, and talented young safety in Jabrill Peppers. The issue isn't even that New York traded Beckham. It's that the Giants signed the 26-year-old to a $95 million extension last August and then dealt him not even a year later, meaning that Big Blue will have to eat $16 million in dead money this coming season.
If the Giants were going to trade Beckham, why didn't they just do it last summer?
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