Odell Beckham Jr. insists the Giants “could never get past my past’’ and said his initial reaction when he heard he was traded to Cleveland was an emotion other than disappointment.

“I felt disrespected,’’ Beckham said in an interview with GQ that was published Monday.

Beckham, the subject of a cover story entitled “Inside the Mind of Odell Beckham Jr.’’ went on to state he was the primary reason why, despite the Giants being a bad team, there continued to be so much interest in them.

“This is me being honest: This team has not been good for the last six years,’’ Beckham said. “Period. Even the year we went to the playoffs and everyone was talking about this and that. And we went there, and I didn’t have a great playoff game. Don’t get me wrong, I had a terrible game. But I left the game with seven targets, and I’m supposed to be your number one receiver. I left the game with seven targets. We lost. They scored 40 points. It’s just all bad.

“I felt disrespected, because I felt like I was a main reason at keeping that brand alive. They were getting prime-time games, still, as a 5-and-11 team. Why? Because people want to see the show. You want to see me play. That’s just real rap. I’m not sitting here like, ‘It’s because of me.’ But let’s just be real. That’s why we’re still getting prime-time games. I felt disrespected they weren’t even man enough to even sit me down to my face and tell me what’s going on.’’

Beckham was traded to the Browns on March 12 for a package that included a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft (No. 17 overall), a third-round pick (No. 95) and Jabrill Peppers, a 23-year old safety and former first-round pick.

Beckham was in Paris when he heard he was being shipped out by the Giants.

“They could never get past my past,’’ he said. “There’s always that past that whatever happened, I would never be able to outgrow it. That’s why I don’t try to bring none of this to Cleveland. I don’t even care. When I get there, this is a fresh start for me.’’

Asked who he was referring to when he said “they’’ could not get past his past, Beckham singled out Giants general manager Dave Gettleman, who signed off on the five-year, $90 million contract Beckham secured prior to the 2018 season.

Beckham had kind words for Giants co-owner John Mara but none for Gettleman, or coach Pat Shurmur.

“I’ll forever have respect for Mr. Mara,’’ Beckham said. “Everything he’s ever done for me, he’s shown nothing but love. But then to be called like that and then be texted by your coach and be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I heard the news.’ Yeah, you heard the news? It happened because of you. The reason I’m gone is because of you. On the other side of it, I was excited about a new start because I had been — honestly, I had been praying to God the season before this season for a change.’’

Beckham said he felt the Giants soured on him soon after he signed the new deal.

“I really felt like: Why did we even sign this contract?’’ he said. “Why did we do this deal to not feel long-term. I would be up and down the sidelines saying that, like, ‘Why did you sign me?’ ’’

Beckham did say he loved the New York fans, even as he characterized them as having “a sense of entitlement’’ toward him.

“I just loved New Yorkers,’’ he said. “They’re such a unique group of people. Good or bad. It’s both sides. But God made me. You know what I mean? That’s just where he gave me my first opportunity to show where I was at.’’

Beckham, 26, revealed he had discussions with his mother about leaving football, and retiring at the age of 24 because he was not enjoying his time with the Giants.

“To love something so much to a place where it is my everything, and to watch it be tainted,’’ Beckham said. “Like, it hurt me to my soul. It be like loving someone and putting them on such a level to where life is about them and you love that person through anything. Through the good, the bad. And to watch them do something so heinous and vulgar. Something just so, like, almost unforgivable. You still love them, but it’s, like, Wow.’’