Is holdout now inevitable for Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr.?
Odell Beckham Jr. says he isn’t going to hold out, but if the Giants don’t start engaging him in meaningful contract talks he might change his mind.
The New York Giants need Odell Beckham Jr. to enjoy a healthy and productive 2018 season. Otherwise, they won’t be sniffing the playoffs. Of course, Dave Gettleman also needs his talented wide receiver to show up to training camp.
Despite the fact that Beckham has consistently told the media that he will show up to camp on time, recent reports from the player’s camp insist that a holdout is “still on the table.” Sources claim Beckham’s camp believes the Giants haven’t engaged them in serious contract talks yet. On the other side of the fence, Giants officials reportedly want to see how Beckham has recovered from his ankle injury before committing big money to him for a long period of time.
It’s easy to see this situation getting much worse before it gets any better. Gettleman has a long history of being one of the NFL’s toughest negotiators. Even if Beckham were completely healthy it’s highly probable he’d hesitate to commit massive money to a skill position player. The Giants GM prefers to invest his money in the trenches.
Beckham also has plenty of logical reasons to want a new contract before he steps onto the training camp field. His production prior to his injury was certainly worthy of a big deal. He put up double-digit touchdowns in each of his three seasons as a pro prior to last year. There can be no debate he’s one of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL if he’s healthy.
The Giants front office would be wise to show a little good faith here. That doesn’t mean they need to fully agree to a new deal before Beckham hits the practice field, but they need to show he and his representatives some love. At the very least, they need to get in the room and start to discuss serious terms if they want the talented wideout to show up on time.
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Right now, both sides are looking at the other to fully capitulate. That isn’t going to happen. It’s going to require movement from all parties to avoid a holdout.