Report: Giants want to see if Odell Beckham is healthy, focused before contract

Odell Beckham Jr. has gone out of his way to play nice with the New York Giants this offseason, but he still wants a long-term contract extension. According to one report, he has more to show both on and off the field before he is going to get it.

SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano wrote over the weekend that Beckham and the Giants are getting close to a contract “showdown,” with Beckham expected to be fully cleared to practice in the near future. Beckham underwent ankle surgery in October, and a source told Vacchiano that the Giants are waiting to see how he looks physically and whether he will remain focused off the field.

Their preference, according to a team source, is to first make sure Beckham has fully recovered from the ankle surgery he underwent in October and is still the same explosive player, and to give it a little time to make sure he really is doing his best to remain controversy-free. Then they will be willing to open their vault.

The problem with that is Beckham may choose to not give the Giants a front-row seat to see how crisp his route-running is. If he holds out from training camp in search of a new contract, it will be tough for them to tell how explosive he is.

Beckham is under contract for roughly $8.5 million in 2018, and the Giants could always use the franchise tag on him next offseason. He doesn’t have much leverage, and we have already heard that the team tried to use one of his latest off-field slip-ups against him in contract talks. While OBJ’s presence at voluntary workouts has been encouraging, things could change in a hurry.