Odell Beckham Jr. Takes J.J. McCarthy Old Number 9© Instagram
On September 28, the Giants traded J.J. McCarthy to the Vikings for a fifth-round pick. On September 29, the Giants cut Odell Beckham Jr. after zero catches in three games and 20 offensive snaps. On October 7, Beckham signed with the Vikings’ practice squad and was handed number 9, the jersey McCarthy had been wearing in Minnesota before the trade made his self-given nickname “Nine” the butt of every joke about the whole thing. Giants fans on social media did what Giants fans do. “We traded OBJ for Nine” went everywhere. “I hate the Giants’ front office good lord” went almost as far. It is a genuinely funny sequence of events if you are not a Giants fan, and a fairly painful one if you are.
McCarthy is now in New York wearing number 18, backing up Jameis Winston. John Harbaugh has said Winston starts for as long as he can see into the future. Beckham is in Minnesota in the number McCarthy just left, trying to convince a sixth NFL team he still has something left.
Why Minnesota and Why Now
Justin Jefferson hurt his ankle. The Vikings are last in the NFL in passing. They needed a warm body at receiver who knows how to run routes and has experience working in a professional system. Beckham fits that description even at 33, and he already has a relationship with offensive coordinator Wes Phillips from their time together in Los Angeles.
He could not get number 13, which belongs to Tai Felton. Number 3 is Jordan Addison’s. Number 9 was sitting there because its previous owner just got shipped east.
A Career That Refuses to End
Beckham’s last regular-season catch came in 2024 as a Miami Dolphin. He started this season back in New York on a one-year deal, played three games, caught nothing, got released, and is now on a practice squad in Minnesota with a reasonable chance of being elevated if Jefferson misses time. He turns 34 in November. The Vikings would be his sixth team. He is still here, which at this point is its own kind of story.
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