Despite not getting a long-term contract extension yet and the swirling trade rumors that have gripped the NFL for the better part of two weeks now, New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. arrived at team facilities on Monday morning for offseason workouts.
New head coach Pat Shurmur confirmed Beckham’s arrival and quickly began gushing about his receiver.
“I really believe Odell is a professional. He wants to be great,” Shurmur said (h/t Giants official Twitter). “He understands the importance of the offseason. He’s a competitive guy. Again, we already started communicating before all that communication kind of got out there and was talked about to a great deal. He’s a professional and I’m glad he’s here today.”
For a player that has been labeled as immature by the media and fans, Beckham’s arrival to voluntary workouts is anything but that as he prepares to make a comeback from an ankle injury that limited him to just four games last year.
Given his past, it wouldn’t have been surprising if Beckham decided to be a no-show in April and later this summer. The 25-year-old talent has been one of the game’s best receivers, but his inability to keep his composure on and off the field has made him a liability to the franchise that drafted him 13th-overall in 2014.
It has put he and the Giants in a precarious situation during the ending stages of his rookie contract. Beckham is under team control until the end of this season, a fifth-year option paying him just under $8.5 million in 2018.
Looking for long-term stability, Beckham has made it known that he wants a sizeable extension that would secure his future in New York. Recently, it was reported that he was willing to hold out until that happened.
On the very same day those desires were revealed, Beckham’s name suddenly became a focal point on the trade market as the Giants were reportedly shopping the LSU product. While teams like the Los Angeles Rams came calling, the Giants asking price was even leaked as they wanted at least two first-round draft picks for him.
Trade talks are still looming, especially after the Rams acquired Brandin Cooks from the New England Patriots in a move that some believe sets up the defending AFC Champions to make a move for Beckham.
But the Giants might be playing the wait-and-see game. If Beckham shows a certain amount of maturity during the early portions of this offseason and buys in to new management, the organization might feel the time is right to give him that long-term extension.
