Maybe we should start taking these Odell Beckham Jr. trade rumors a bit more seriously.
Rumors of a Beckham Jr. deal first began to circulate after New York Giants owner John Mara noted that no player on the roster is “untouchable.” While the Giants reportedly are not actively shopping Beckham Jr., they reportedly are “listening” to calls on the star wideout and even have an asking price in place.
But if OBJ simply becomes too much of a headache for New York, it reportedly could lower its trade demands in order to cut ties with the 25-year-old. In a column for The MMQB, Peter King detailed how the Giants might handle the Beckham Jr. situation moving forward.
“This isn’t an easy one to decipher,” King writes. “The Giants already have a short fuse with the immature Beckham. He lives in Los Angeles in the offseason and could make it very hard on the Giants and their rookie head coach by not showing up for any of the offseason work, and holding out well into the summer. They may decide he’s not worth the trouble, and take two low first-rounders for him, and save all that cap money they’d have to pay him long-term—realizing full well it’s a deal they could soon regret. Look at GM Dave Gettleman’s history in Carolina. He had a big veteran star, Josh Norman, about to be a contract-related distraction for the Panthers in 2016. Gettleman’s solution was simply to cut him loose. If you told Gettleman he could get two first-round picks for a huge headache … well, I don’t have to draw you a map.”
There’s no doubt the Giants would have a slew of potential suitors for Beckham Jr., who is one of the best receivers in the game when healthy. While the Los Angeles Rams are the only team that’s been identified as having reached out to the Giants, more clubs likely will start picking up the phone as the saga continues.
There are no signs of the dispute dying down, either. Beckham Jr., whose set to enter the final year of his contract, reportedly won’t set foot on the field until he has a new deal.
