‘I’ll be there’
Odell Beckham says he will attend the start of training camp, but reality is more complicated
METUCHEN, N.J. — Hold on. Maybe Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t going to hold out from Giants training camp in late July for a new contract after all.
“I’ll be there,” Beckham told the Daily News early Saturday afternoon, with a handshake and a smile, as his annual ProCamp at St. Joseph High School wrapped and he was whisked away in a golf cart.
The reality is more complicated, however.
While Beckham’s plan as of right now indeed is to be at camp and to play football this year, his unresolved contract situation still could impact those intentions, a source familiar with Beckham’s situation told the Daily News.
And Beckham clearly did not fully convey that context in the two impromptu conversations as he drove away from his annual ProCamp at St. Joseph High School.
In another brief chat, he told SNY that “no holdout” is going to happen. And as I understand it after several conversations on a beautiful Saturday morning, that is not a promise Beckham can 100 percent commit to at the moment.
He was not planning to address the media at all until he responded to those questions.
Beckham’s impulse answers, however, do provide a meaningful window into his true feelings and hopes: he really does want to resolve this, obtain long-term security for his career and move on to trying to help the Giants get back on track after missing most of last year with a broken ankle. It is also another example of how Beckham continues to toe the line between playing nice and standing up for himself in his quest for a new contract. He is, as Saturday’s kids camp reminded anyone in attendance, still a mega-star with fawning fans. But he is not untouchable. In Beckham’s 2014 draft class, there are star players getting paid like Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin (16th overall), who just got a sixyear, $84 million deal with $40 million guaranteed at signing. And there are others holding out like Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Khalil Mack (fifth overall) and L.A. Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald (13th), the 2016 and 2017 NFL defensive players of the year, respectively. And then there is Beckham, whose situation is unique because of how tired the Giants grew of his behavior and how they discussed trading him with the L.A. Rams.
Beckham seems aware he is walking on eggshells to an extent, and that probably explains why he hasn’t snapped back when the Giants have baited him this offseason.
For example, he showed up to some offseason workouts in April despite being the subject of trade talks prior. And even this week he attended all three days of mandatory minicamp and quelled whatever disagreement there was behindthe-scenes about his participation to a minimal decibel level.
Beckham has bought into head coach Pat Shurmur’s plan in earnest. He also has taken a stand both in early March and this past week, though, about participating fully in team drills without long-term contract security. So the question is whether he will do so again on July 25 if the Giants still haven’t inked him to that long-term contract.
OBJ clearly wants to report with his Giants teammates on day one of camp. And maybe if his agent and the Giants are nearing, but not quite at a deal by then, he will show up without a new contract actually completed.
But it doesn’t sound like the Giants should be counting on unconditional attendance, either. Beckham has walked to the middle of this negotiation, it seems, and now it’s time for the organization to make its move.
ALL THINGS BECKHAM
Beckham has long scars running vertically down both the inside and outside of his surgically repaired left ankle. The scar on the outside of his leg is longer than the scar on the inside. They are both noticeable, but if you couldn’t see the scars, he looks so healthy running around that you wouldn’t be able to tell which ankle he broke. … Beckham spent nearly four hours in the sun at the camp interacting with the kids and clearly had a blast. He was stripping footballs from ballcarriers emphasizing ball security (“get that outta here”), giving props to kids with hair styles that rivaled or mimicked his (“I see you, twin”), appreciating others (“I see your swag”) and even consoling one camper who took a pass to the chin with a hug (“shake if off”). Beckham often high-fived and danced with the campers, too.