Odell Beckham Reportedly “Will Not Step Foot on Field” Without Contract Extension

The New York Giants offseason has already been unpredictable and active. Now, the team continues to raise its stock as the league’s most intriguing teams. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr “will not step foot on field” without a contract extension, whether with New York, or another team.

httpss://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/978231674428444672

Mara’s Comments

The report comes a day after John Mara spoke to the media about the status of the Giants, where he said no one is “untouchable,” after the team went 3-13 next season.

The quote from Mara then stemmed towards Beckham, who has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons in recent months.

“As I’ve said before,” said Mara, “I’m tired of answering questions about Odell’s behavior and what the latest incident is. I think he knows what we expect of him, and now it’s up to him.”

There have been rumors circulating recently about whether the Giants would trade Beckham to another team. However, Mara did shoot that down, saying, “not a scenario I would like to see happen.”

Get Ready for the Roller Coaster Ride

The report on Monday morning sets up yet another storyline the Giants did not necessarily expect to deal with entering 2018.

Beckham will earn $8.46 million under the fifth year option of his current contract. The star receiver has gone on the record in the past that he wants to earn $20 million a year under a new contract. When looking at the wide receivers in the NFL, the highest paid player in terms of annual salary is Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who earns $17 million a year.  The market has increased over the years, but it will remain to be seen if Beckham would be able to gain $3 million more in annual salary than Brown. What makes it difficult is we have yet to see him return to action after suffering a fractured ankle.

Perhaps the more intriguing piece of this saga is general manager Dave Gettleman, who is notorious for his no nonsense approach in team management. During his time in Carolina, Gettleman has parted ways with the likes of veteran players like Steve Smith and DeAngelo Williams. However, the most shocking release he has made was that of Josh Norman in 2016. Carolina had originally offered Norman the franchise tag, but after contract negotiations were at a stalemate, Gettleman rescinded the tag, making Norman a free agent.

Now, Gettleman will have another job to add to his list, and that is to negotiate a deal with Beckham. We will likely hear more about the contract talks after the NFL Draft and the start of OTA’s.

Buckle your seat belts, everyone, this is sure to be a bumpy ride.