Odell Beckham Jr. is skipping Giants OTAs reportedly because he wants a new contract
Beckham is headed into the final year of his rookie contract and wants an extension
Odell Beckham Jr. still has not shown up to the Giants' organized team activities. Why? According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Giants' star wideout wants a new contract.
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
Beckham retweeted an article that featured a video of Schefter saying on ESPN Radio, "If I were advising Odell Beckham Jr., I would not show up at an OTA, I would not show up at a mandatory minicamp, I would not show up at a training camp, I would not show up at anything until that contract -- which finally can be adjusted for the first time -- were made to reflect his value to this team, this organization and the type of player he is in this league."
Beckham is headed into the final season of the four-year rookie contract he signed after the Giants made him the No. 12 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. That deal paid out just over $10.4 million over the course of four years, and carries a fifth-year option worth just south of $8.5 million for the 2018 season. Beckham is worth considerably more than that, as the best receivers in the league are working on contracts that pay an average of $14 million-$17 million per year. This is the time of year when you would expect a player in Beckham's position to begin angling for that new deal.
The Giants, for their part, say they want to give it to him (though official talks have yet to begin).
Fan asks John Mara if #NYG talked long-term deal on @OBJ_3. Not yet, but: "Obviously we want him to be a Giant for the rest of his career."
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) June 6, 2017
OTAs are voluntary so it's not that big a deal that Beckham isn't there yet, and a couple weeks back Beckham said he would definitely be at mandatory minicamp when it opened June 13. That's next week, so we'll just have to check back in then to see if his mind has changed.
















