After wearing No. 84 during the preseason, Jalin Hyatt was looking for a new number as enters his first NFL regular season. Hyatt's number in college (11) was retired by the team in honor of Phil Simms, so Hyatt chose the No. 13, which was the same number Odell Beckham Jr. donned during his notable tenure with New York.
"There's no story behind it," Hyatt said of wearing Beckham's old number, via the team's website. "I just want to start my own legacy with it and do my best for the Giants in number 13."
Things tend to become a story, however, when it involves Beckham, who has been one of the NFL's most well-known players since his one-handed catch against the Cowboys in 2014. Beckham gave the story legs when he took to X to publicly support Hyatt's decision to rock 13 for Big Blue.
Love family !
— Jalin Hyatt (@jalinhyatt) August 31, 2023
"I was surprised he knew who I was," Hyatt said of Beckham, who met Hyatt's acquaintance during training sessions in Arizona this past offseason. "It shows a lot of love that he has for the Giants. A lot of respect for him.
"What he did here – had a great career with the Giants and kind of took over. I was a fan when I was young watching him. High school, college, and now being here, but just with the jersey number, it's just one of those things I wanted to start my own legacy. I like low numbers, and if I had to choose a number it'd be 11, but it's retired here, so can't go with that one, so 13 would be the next option."
Beckham's time in the Big Apple was certainly notable. A former Giants first-round pick, Beckham was named to the Pro Bowl during each of his first three seasons with the Giants. His play on the field and personality off of it made him a star in the nation's biggest city.
Beckham's post Giants career includes winning a championship with the Rams and his comeback following a serious knee injury that was sustained during the Los Angeles' Super Bowl win over the Bengals. Beckham didn't play last season but is hoping to revive his career this season with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
While Beckham's legacy in New York has been written, Hyatt is hoping to leave his own mark with the Giants. Based on coach Brian Daboll's recent comments, it appears that Hyatt is off to a good start.
"I think he's made a ton of progress and worked really hard to do it," Daboll said earlier this week. "So, a large credit to him and how he's gone about his work. He's made a tremendous amount of progress showing up throughout camp making plays. We'll continue to work towards improving all together. He's in a good spot."
