Odell Beckham Jr. signed a five-year contract with the New York Giants last offseason that could pay him up to $95 million.
That hasn’t stopped trade speculation from resurfacing this offseason, though, especially with NFL insider Jay Glazer predicting last week in a mailbag for The Athletic that the Giants will deal the star wide receiver before the 2019 season.
If Glazer’s prediction wasn’t enough, NBC Sports’ Chris Simms threw gasoline on the fire this week when he reported, per multiple sources, that the New England Patriots were the most aggressive in pursuing a trade for Beckham last offseason. According to Simms, the Giants got cold feet about trading Beckham because of the Patriots’ interest in acquiring the polarizing superstar.
We might never know how close New England came to landing OBJ, but it sounds like Max Kellerman is buying Simms’ report the Giants backed off a trade once the Patriots showed interest.
“Bill Belichick looks at Odell Beckham and goes, ‘I don’t care what that guys gets paid. He is different,’ ” Kellerman said Tuesday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “I mean think about Bill Belichick coming after you, right, knowing you’re about to get paid. When does he pay a player?
“I’m trying to tell people Odell is qualitatively different than anyone who’s ever played the position,” Kellerman added. “He is just different. He’s in a separate talent category from even Julio Jones — his own category. That’s why Bill Belichick, who’s never paid a player in his whole life, is looking at Odell and going, ‘Him. I’m not only gonna pay him. I’m gonna trade stuff for him so that I can pay him.’ And the Giants are sitting there going, ‘Uh, oh, I guess he’s good. Let’s give him a contract.’ No, the Giants should not trade Odell, and that’s what that means.”
Beckham, 26, is without question one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. It’s amazing to think what he could accomplish playing with quarterback Tom Brady and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in New England, as OBJ has posted huge numbers despite catching balls from a declining Eli Manning.
