The New York Giants are in the early stages of discussing a long-term contract extension with Odell Beckham Jr., but the two sides do not appear to be all that close to reaching a deal.
At the very least, Beckham is almost certainly seeking to be one of the top three highest-paid wide receivers in football. ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported on Monday that the Giants are currently valuing him at a lower salary than the one Sammy Watkins will be getting with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018.
With no deal in place after face-to-face meetings last week, Odell Beckham Jr’s agent Zeke Sandhu is no longer in town. According to a #Giants team source, both sides worked diligently to consummate a deal, but could not agree on Beckham’s true market value. [1/2]
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) August 6, 2018
[2/2] My understanding is that the Giants are currently valuing Odell Beckham at a total average per year below Sammy Watkins. #ContractTalks
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) August 6, 2018
Some would argue that Watkins is overpaid, but the average annual value on his deal is $16 million. That places him fifth overall at the position behind Antonio Brown ($17 million), Mike Evans ($16.5 million) and DeAndre Hopkins and Brandin Cooks ($16.2 million each). Of course, average annual value doesn’t tell the whole story, and it’s possible the Giants could offer Beckham more guaranteed money than some of the receivers with higher annual salaries got.
Beckham has been showing up for work and has given no indication that he plans to hold out. The latest remarks he made about the situation make it seem like he is not concerned, which could mean he’s optimistic something will get done before Week 1.
