Giants RB Saquon Barkley says Odell Beckham Jr. was not ‘really happy’ about trade to Browns

The New York Giants sent shockwaves through the NFL last week when they traded star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns, not even one year after signing him to a six-year contract extension.

Giants running back Saquon Barkley spoke with Beckham after the trade, saying that Beckham did not seem too enthralled:

“We talked over Facetime, he had just gotten traded, so I don’t think he was really happy about it,” Barkley said, according to Matt Lombardo of NJ Advance Media. “He just gave me some advice about how to handle stuff in the league. He was the same old big brother to me that he’s always been.”

While Beckham grumbled a bit earlier in the 2018 campaign, he gave no public indication that he wanted out of New York, and judging from his social media posts later in the season, it seemed like the 26-year-old was looking forward to 2019.

Beckham played in 12 games this past year, missing the final four contests of the season due to a quad injury. He hauled in 77 receptions for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns.

The Baton Rouge native, who played his collegiate football at LSU, was originally selected by the Giants in the first round (12th pick overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.

He went on to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons with New York and stamped his name among the top wideouts in the NFL.

However, over the last two years, Beckham has dealt with injury issues, limiting him to just 16 games combined in 2017 and 2018.