The intrigue behind superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr.’s recent absence from the Giants’ facility has been solved. Today, at the New York Giants’ minicamp, the fourth year pro took the field and his rightful place as the centerpiece to the Giants’ offense. He ran well and made a few plays to remind us just how special he can be but dropped a long pass from QB Eli Manning after beating Pro Bowl CB Janoris Jenkins down the sideline.
The media was out in full force to see and hear what Beckham had to say about skipping the voluntary portion of the team’s offseason and if he plans on holding out for a new contract. After a long wait, he finally took the press podium to address the media in the 95 degree heat.
“There was no doubt in my mind,” Beckham said when asked if there was ever a doubt that he would attend this week’s workouts, which are mandatory.
It turns out that his absence may have been much ado about nothing. Situations these days get blown way out of proportion thanks to social media and the 24/7/365 news cycle. Beckham understands that he may have gotten a bad rap, especially since it was reported that his absence was financially motivated.
“It is life,” he said of the publicity. “It comes with it.” The holdout talk was just that – talk. Beckham said he wouldn’t go that route anyway.
“I have seen the whole holdout and all of that stuff and I have never really seen that work, so that was never in my mind, to not go to OTAs to get a new contract,” he clarified. “I don’t really think that that proves a point in my opinion.”
Beckham is still playing under his rookie contract and the Giants have exercised his fifth year option that will play him in the excess of $10 million over the next two seasons. Is he worth more? Undoubtedly, but no one said this was fair. The Giants know that and are hoping to lock the most exciting player on their roster up for the longterm, a fact that was verified recently by team CEO John Mara.
“I think we are on the same page there, Beckham said of Mara’s intentions. “Obviously this is one of the best organizations in the league and I would love to be here for the rest of my life.”
The Giants don’t really have to make any offers to Beckham for several more years. He’s under contract through 2018 and, if push comes to shove, can be assigned the franchise tag in 2019. He is aware and has decided to control the things he can control. By showing up today, he fulfilled his part of the deal.
“I leave that in the hands of the man above honestly,” OBJ said of his contract status. “When that time comes, that time comes. Right now is really not the time to discuss it. Like I said, when it comes, it comes….any contract questions are really not for me to discuss. I haven’t really talked with anybody about contracts, so it is not something that has been in the air. It kind of was a talk that was brought up amongst other people. It never was really in my discussion, so like I said, just take it a day a time and when it comes it will come.”
Beckham said that he wasn’t far behind when it came to keeping in step but was getting “into the playbook” since the team had added some new things with the arrival of veteran WR Brandon Marshall and rookie TE Evan Engram.
OBJ was animated when talking about Engram, the team’s top draft choice this past April.
“When he came out to the rookie premiere and I was out there training in L.A,” said Beckham of Engram. “I got to meet up with him. I took him out to eat and we just got to hang out for a couple days and we were just talking and he seems really excited about it. I was telling him how excited I am to have him here, a guy who – it reminds me of when the Saints had Jimmy Graham and they would line him up on the outside and create nightmare mismatches and Gronk [Rob Gronkowski] and put him on the outside. But he is a real hybrid. If you put him out there and you have a safety guard him that is going to be trouble, if you put him out there and you have a linebacker guard him that is going to be trouble and from what I have been hearing he has even tortured corners. So I am really looking forward to seeing him develop and how his game is going to evolve and just what he can bring to the table. I know he is a special talent; he came out of the SEC, so I already know he is a beast.”
Head coach Ben McAdoo would not talk about his correspondences with Beckham, opting to keep “personal conversations personal”, but did say that Beckham appeared to be in lock step with the team.
“He’s been in the offense, great to have him back,” said McAdoo. “He didn’t miss a beat when he came in. He looks in good condition.”
He did. Beckham is in tremendous condition, it seems. While his teammates were toiling in the New Jersey weather, he was in California working out with several trainers and Hall of Fame wideout Cris Carter.
“Just a guy who has been through a lot,” Beckham said of Carter. “He has got a lot of life lessons to be able to share with you. He was a Hall of Famer and a phenomenal player, one of the best, so just being able to take from him, the little things and the nuances of the game and little slight techniques. He is kind of like a guy that has been in the corner for me. I didn’t get to workout with him every single day, it was just like once or twice, but anytime you can learn from a guy like that it is great.”