New York Giants: Breaking down the Odell Beckham Jr. dilemma

Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to be 100 percent for the start of the New York Giants’ training camp on July 25.

Big Blue’s star receiver was officially cleared to practice during the team’s mandatory minicamp this week. New York Giants first-year head coach Pat Shurmur said he expects all players to be present for the start of training camp next month and that there is “no reason to believe” Beckham won’t be a full-go, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.

The Giants receiver is entering the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. Beckham made it known last summer that he was looking to become the league’s highest-paid player.

But this offseason the three-time Pro Bowler has taken a different approach. Beckham has put the team first, showing up for voluntary workouts and minicamp. Other players around the league entering their fifth-year options like Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack have elected to miss their team’s respective offseason workout programs with the hope of landing an extension.

There are some major differences between the three 2014 first-round picks. All three have been dominant players since entering the league. But Mack and Donald have each been named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. They both have also shown durability, something Beckham has lacked in his first four seasons.

Two Sides To Every Argument

No one is questioning Beckham’s talent. He’s one of the league’s best receivers. He’s the third player in NFL history to start his career with three consecutive seasons of 1,000-plus receiving yards while recording a minimum of 10 touchdown receptions.

That also doesn’t change the fact that he is coming off a devastating ankle injury. Beckham has missed a total of 17 games since entering the league. Giants general manager Dave Gettleman surely knows the risk associated with signing Beckham to a long-term contract extension.

He’s also repeatedly stated this offseason, “you don’t quit on talent.”

The Giants offense fell apart without Beckham in 2018. But to be honest, New York’s offense was built around their aerial attack under Ben McAdoo and Jerry Reese. Their one-dimensional offense collapsed with Beckham, Brandon Marshall, and Dwayne Harris sidelined. It also didn’t help that Sterling Shepard was limited to 11 games. Not to mention Big Blue led the league in dropped passes.

The Giants know they have a rare talent in Beckham. They also know an extension will make him the league’s highest-paid receiver.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported earlier this offseason that Beckham was seeking an average annual salary of $20 million per year. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown currently makes the highest league average at $17 million per year, according to Over the Cap.

But as ESPN’s Bill Barnwell points out average annual salary is not an “especially meaningful number.” Instead, it’s the first three years of Beckham’s contract extension that will be most important.

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans just signed a five-year, $82.5 million deal, which includes $55 million in the first three seasons.

According to Barnwell, a potential contract extension for the Giants star receiver could look like $100 million over five years, making his entire contract a six-year, $108.5 million deal. This would make Beckham this league’s highest-paid receiver in terms of average annual salary ($18.1) and would include $58 million over the first three years of the extension.

The question is why would Gettleman shell out that kind of money for a star receiver the Giants already own the rights to? Big Blue can lock up Beckham for the foreseeable future under the franchise tag, which wouldn’t become unreasonable until 2021.

But they also won’t want to wait that long if Beckham is in their long-term plans. That would give him all the leverage, similar to Kirk Cousins’ contract situation with his former team, the Washington Redskins.

The Giants new front office and coaching staff are building an offense that doesn’t need to rely on one superstar player. They are looking to win in the trenches on both sides of the ball and are making depth a priority following New York’s injury-plagued 2017 campaign.

At the same time, Beckham has every right to want a new contract. He will be the league’s 20th highest paid receiver in 2018, according to Spotrac. He is set to make just under $8.5 million this upcoming season.

Sammy Watkins, Paul Richardson, Donte Moncrief, Randall Cobb, and Taylor Gabriel are just some of the receivers that will be making more than Beckham this upcoming season.

Of those receivers, only Cobb and Watkins have surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in a single-season. Cobb is also the only one to have recorded double-digit touchdowns in a single-season, which came back in 2014.

Those numbers clearly illustrate how much Beckham is being undervalued. And it’s not as though Watkins, Richardson, and Moncrief haven’t had their own share of injuries since entering the league.

Both sides unquestionably have valid points. As of right now, the Giants hold all the cards. An extension for Beckham is likely coming. It just may not come before the 2018 regular season.

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That arguably gives Beckham the right to sit out training camp and the preseason due to injury concerns. But come Week 1, No. 13 will surely be in the huddle with his teammates, as he aims to show that he is still one of the league’s most talented playmakers.