EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to be in attendance Monday for the start of the New York Giants‘ offseason workout program, the wide receiver told ESPN’s Josina Anderson.
Beckham is scheduled to fly from Los Angeles to New Jersey later Sunday. He plans to be at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Monday to “check in, work out in the gym and meet with some people.”
It’s a sign of solidarity as new coach Pat Shurmur and general manager Dave Gettleman attempt to reshape the team’s culture. While Beckham still desires a new contract, it provides the Giants a chance to look in person at the ankle he shattered last October and shows that Beckham is willing to buy into the new program.
The hope is that this leads to more serious contract negotiations in the near future after the Giants left the door open for a trade two weeks ago at the NFL meetings in Orlando, Florida.
Offseason workouts are voluntary under the collective bargaining agreement. Beckham and Olivier Vernon weren’t around for much of the team’s offseason workout program last year. Vernon is also expected to attend this year with the team learning new offensive and defensive schemes under a new coaching staff.
Shurmur said last month he expected Beckham to be in attendance for the team’s offseason program, which officially ends with a mandatory minicamp in mid-June. Beckham has been working out vigorously in Los Angeles most of this offseason.
“All reports are he will be ready to go as we get going,” Shurmur said last month at the NFL meetings. “There are steps he has to take. All indications are he will be back healthy by the time we start playing in September.”
Shurmur and Beckham met in Los Angeles last month for a getting-to-know-you session. Shurmur said it went well. Shurmur has stated publicly that he believes it’s important for all his players to participate in the offseason program. He wants to use it to build chemistry and fortify relationships.
Beckham wasn’t at Duke University last week, where quarterback Eli Manning took some of his receivers for their annual trip. He was rehabbing and training in Los Angeles as he tries to fully recover from a broken ankle suffered last October.
It’s no secret that Beckham wants a new contract. He played last year for $1.8 million before breaking his ankle in a Week 5 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The team hasn’t seriously entered negotiations with their top weapon at any point. Beckham, 25, is expected to make $8.5 million on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. A new deal is likely to net him in the range of $60 million guaranteed.
The Giants created a firestorm recently at the NFL meetings when the team’s brass said it would listen to offers for Beckham. Several teams have inquired about his services. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Giants have asked for at least two first-round picks in return for Beckham, even though the team insisted it was not shopping the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.
The Los Angeles Rams were one of the teams interested, but they traded with the New England Patriots for wide receiver Brandin Cooks, eliminating them as a potential landing spot.
This offseason, a troubling video surfaced in which Beckham had what appeared to be a brown cigarette in his hand while a woman used a credit card to arrange lines of a white powder. The video was taken after a night of partying in France. It’s one of several incidents that have irked Giants ownership since he was drafted. Mara was also unhappy when Beckham pretended to urinate on the field like a dog after a touchdown last season in Philadelphia.
But Beckham has never been in trouble with the law and is a popular figure in the locker room. He is one of the best playmakers in football when healthy, having scored 38 touchdowns in 47 career games.
The Giants’ offense averaged 13.6 points in the 13 games last season where Beckham either didn’t play or was limited by injury. He finished second on the team with three receiving touchdowns despite playing just four games.
Source : ESPN
