Odell Beckham Jr. raised more than a few eyebrows when he no-showed all ten days of the New York giants voluntary OTAs. However, it seems his absence is a short one, and he said that he would be back on the field when the team starts its mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, Beckham would have lost $80,405 in salary penalties if he skipped out on the minicamp. However, there was never any indication that Odell would skip minicamp since the OTAs were entirely voluntary.
Beckham’s contract situation
The reason for Odell Beckham Jr.’s absence from the New York Giants’ OTAs is unknown, but there are some rumblings that it is due to his current contract and desire for a contract extension with the Giants.
However, Beckham is signed through the 2018 NFL season and will make about $10.3 million on the deal he is currently playing under, combined. However, Beckham knows that he is playing at a giant discount compared to his production on the field.
The fact is that the New York Giants just signed Brandon Marshall to join Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard on the team and are paying him a two-year deal worth $11 million. The fact that a new Giants’ receiver is making more than Beckham has to sting although getting help in the offensive scheme will help the Giants win in 2017.
No one in Odell Beckham Jr. camp has admitted it, but his absence from OTAs is directly related to his desire for a new deal, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 7, 2017
The problem for Beckham Jr.
is that the Giants don’t have to extend his deal right now. Odell has two years left on his current contract, and New York has time to consider the worth of extending him. The Giants could also wait until after his contract expires and then hit him with the franchise tag, which would be approximately $18.3 million for a one-year deal.
The problem here is that it could sour Beckham towards the Giants, much as Kirk Cousins seems to be counting the days until he can leave the Washington Redskins.
Antonio Brown
The signing of Brandon Marshall to more than Odell Beckham Jr. makes is not really the biggest problem here. The idea is that Beckham saw that the Pittsburgh Steelers extended the contract for Antonio Brown when he had two years left on his deal.
They gave Brown a five-year, $42.5 million contracts. If anything, there is the chance that Odell sees Pittsburgh locking up their top receiver and might wonder why the New York Giants don’t want to do the same for him.
At the same time, Antonio Brown became the best receiver in the NFL after signing his deal, so he could have made more money if he waited. New York Giants owner John Mara said that he wants Odell Beckham Jr. to retire as a member of his team so they should look into extending his deal before it expires if they want to hold to that promise.
