So what happened? How did everything go so wrong that the Giants were willing to ship Beckham away less than seven months after giving him a five-year, $90 million contract?
"He had become too much of a pain in the ass," said one source familiar with the situation. "And there was a real fear that eventually it would get worse."
But off the field they had grown tired of dealing with his headaches, and as Gettleman explained to reporters at the NFL scouting combine two weeks ago, "part of the responsibility of a general manager is to eliminate distractions." Beckham had become a lightning rod in New York, and no matter how the Giants tried to manage him, they couldn't keep him out of the spotlight.
Also, they did not feel he was truly happy playing in New York and for a Giants franchise that was struggling, one source said. And after seeing the way Antonio Brown forced his way out of Pittsburgh over the last few months, there was a worry that in a year or two - especially if the Giants and their quarterback continued to struggle -- Beckham could go that route, too.
So they listened to offers on and off for the last year, hoping to get something close to two first-round picks in return, multiple sources said. The Browns only had one to offer, but when they were willing to throw in Peppers - a
player the Giants loved in the 2017 draft - Gettleman convinced everyone it was time to move.
https://www.sny.tv/giants/news/odell-beckham-jr-trade-why-giants-decided-to-deal-pain-in-the-ass-receiver/305138080