Report: Odell Beckham will not play without contract extension
Odell Beckham Jr. is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2018, and the star wide receiver wants a long-term extension. If he doesn’t get it, he is apparently willing to sit out as long as necessary.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Beckham “will not set foot on a field” unless he can come to an agreement with the Giants on a new long-term deal.
From @gmfb: My understanding is that #Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr will not set foot on a field without a new contract extension agreed to — with the #Giants or any team. … This comes a day after owner John Mara said no one is “untouchable” in trade talks.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 26, 2018
Rapoport didn’t specify if that means Beckham is willing to sit out regular season games, but it likely means a training camp holdout at the very least.
Beckham is set to make around $8.5 million in 2018, which is roughly half of the average annual salary the highest-paid wide receivers in football are getting. He wants to be paid in line with those players, but Giants owner John Mara warned Beckham over the weekend about his off-field conduct. Mara also hinted that trading Beckham is not out of the question.
Beckham had a fairly quiet offseason up until a questionable video began circulating that appeared to show he was at least in the presence of drugs. If the Giants are hesitant to give him an extension because of that, things could get ugly in a hurry.
