After what has been a rollercoaster of an offseason, the New York Giants and star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. are finally talking about a long-term contract extension, as first reported by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
Talks began earlier this week between the parties with the hope being that they can hammer out a deal before the start of the 2018 regular season.
Beckham will be playing under the final year of his rookie contract before hitting free agency should a new deal not struck. The fifth-year option will pay him $8.5 million.
It’s a number far from the 25-year-old’s expectations as he brashly claimed last year that he wanted to be the highest paid player in football.
However, there was a moment during the offseason where it looked like the Giants wanted to completely wipe their hands clean of him.
After an ankle injury limited his 2017 season to just four games, his continuous antics both on and off the field looked to have ownership’s patience wearing thin. Shortly following a threat that he would hold out if he wasn’t given a long-term contract extension, Beckham found his name in trade talks as the Giants reportedly discussed a deal with the Los Angeles Rams to ship the LSU alum out of town.
It would have been an unceremonious end for a receiver who has had a Hall-of-Fame-like start to his career. During his first three full seasons in the league, Beckham accrued 4,122 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns. No other wide receiver in NFL history has put up that many yards during the first three years of their career.
Regardless, it wasn’t enough for Giants owner John Mara to commit to Beckham. Especially because the new regime of general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur was on its way in.
But Beckham has done everything asked and expected of him as he attended offseason workout programs, OTAs and minicamp while building a strong relationship with Shurmur.
With the Giants seemingly all-in on their star once again, what kind of contract could Beckham be looking at?
Odell Beckham Jr. contract prediction
When attempting to predict Beckham’s new deal with the Giants, one has to look at other big-name wide receivers around the league.
It is expected that he could sign a deal similar to that of Pittsburgh Steelers star Antonio Brown and Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass catcher Mike Evans. Brown is making an average of $17 million until 2021 while Evans is not too far behind with $16.5 million per year, but a whopping $55 million of his $82.5 million over five years is guaranteed.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who is one of the better receivers in the game but not necessarily on Beckham’s level, also helped set the market earlier this summer when he inked a five-year, $72 million deal.
Diggs, who is a year younger than Beckham, recently completed his third year in the NFL where he has accrued almost 1,700 fewer yards than Beckham posted in his first three years in the league and 20 fewer touchdowns.
That means Beckham should make a bit more that Diggs, but I wouldn’t expect him to make as much as Brown after playing in just four games last year.
Contract prediction: 6 years, $96 million ($16 million per year)
