New York Giants wide receiver Odell Bekcham Jr. looks as though he will finally take action in his pursuit of a long-term contract extension.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Beckham “will not step foot on a field” without a new deal in hand. However, that may never happen.
A price for Beckham was revealed Monday when the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard reported that the starting price for a Beckham deal would be “a first-round pick plus [more].”
Leonard added that the Los Angeles Rams and Giants have had talks about a possible deal.
The 25-year-old is entering the final year of his rookie contract, a fifth-year option set to pay him $8.5 million before possibly becoming a free agent.
Beckham has gone on the record saying that he wants to be the highest-paid player in the league, first stating those intentions with UNINTERRUPTED prior to the 2017 season.
It wasn’t too far-fetched of a desire considering Beckham was developing into one of the game’s greatest receivers. In his first three professional seasons, he hauled in 457 catches for over 4,000 yards receiving and 35 touchdowns.
That kind of production under a rookie deal made the LSU product one of the biggest bargains in the league and would normally put any NFL talent like that on course for an enormous payday.
However, Beckham’s well-documented problems on and off the field have given pause to the organization. Whether it was on-field melees with opposing cornerbacks and kicking nets or Miami boat trips, the receiver has constantly made headlines for reasons other than his play.
Then came a 2017 season shortened due to an ankle injury that limited him to just four games. It was one of the benchmark disasters of the Giants’ horrid 3-13 campaign that now has them selecting No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft this April.
While his rehabilitation is coming along without a hitch, making him all but guaranteed to take part in training camp and get back up to speed after an extended absence, Beckham made headlines again for the wrong reasons. This time, a video surfaced of him in Paris earlier this month captured Beckham holding what is believed to be a blunt in his left hand while in a hotel room with a woman doing cocaine.
Once again, not a good look for the Giants, whose patience seems to be wearing thin with the receiver.
“I guess my response to that is I’m tired of answering questions about Odell’s behavior,” Giants co-owner John Mara said (h/t Paul Schwartz, New York Post). “He knows what’s expected of him, and now it’s up to him.”
Mara was quick to add that the team was not currently exploring possible trades for Beckham, but when asked if he could envision a future without the receiver, Mara said “I can’t answer that one way or another… When you’re coming off a season when you’re 3-13 and played as poorly as we played, I wouldn’t say anybody’s untouchable.”
Holding out for a new deal could be a risky move for Beckham. The rebuilding franchise could simply call his bluff and wait until he either comes around or the right trade offer emerges. Needless to say, there is already plenty of interest in him.
The Giants also plenty of other topics to address, including the navigation of free agency and that No. 2 pick in the draft.
But there is also the option of keeping Beckham and letting him sit and hurt his own stock. While it’s unlikely he would sit out the entire season if he didn’t get that extension, the Giants could franchise tag him in each of the following two seasons which would keep him under team control through the 2020 campaign, force him to get back on the field to perform and behave for that big-money deal.
