New York Giants: Odell Beckham Jr. deserves to hold out, get paid

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had earned the right to sit out if he wants a bigger contract from the club this summer.

The biggest story hovering over the New York Giants throughout the end of spring has been superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. choosing to skip voluntary team workouts to, instead, train alongside the likes of NFL flameout Johnny Manziel and Hall-of-Famer Cris Carter, and also attend at least one NBA Finals contest between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.

Beckham, obviously, is not the only NFL player currently skipping voluntary team workouts. Giants defensive lineman Olivier Vernon also is planning on showing up only when league rules require him to do so. It is also worth noting that Beckham has not specifically mentioned he’s staying away from the Giants because of money, but he did interestingly retweet this FanSided story on Tuesday.

That story included a video that featured ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter explaining why Beckham should elect to remain absent from all team workouts until the Giants offer him a new contract. During a separate ESPN segment, Schefter mentioned Beckham’s popularity, that he is eligible for a contract extension, that Nike is paying him $5 million per year and also alluded to how Hakeem Nicks once suffered a career-changing foot injury during similar workouts:

According to Spotrac, Beckham is set to make $1,839,027 for the 2017 season, money any fan would happily accept in a heartbeat, but a paltry sum for a player of Beckham’s talent and overall worth to the Giants. That value goes up to $8,459,000 for the final season of his rookie contract. Theoretically, the Giants have Beckham’s rights for at least another two years, and that doesn’t include the club possibly using the franchise tag to keep him another campaign.

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It was only back in February when the Giants had no reason to worry about Beckham’s future. There was, at the time, no indication Beckham would attempt to pull any sort of power play, and any such concerns seemingly vanished in May when Beckham informed NFL Network he planned on attending mandatory minicamp “for sure” when it begins on June 13, as Kevin Patra of NFL.com explained.

While we don’t know for sure, the situation has changed. Giants fans should probably get used to the idea of seeing Beckham working out without Big Blue teammates around him for the foreseeable future. It’s understandable that will be hard for some to swallow in a world where social media users, sports talk radio hosts and individuals who call into such shows lash out at Beckham for a variety or reasons:

All need to realize that Schefter is spot-on regarding the Beckham matter. Nobody is going to reclaim the millions of dollars Beckham would lose if catastrophe strikes during workouts or even during a game that occurs before he signs a long-term deal with the Giants. Sure, the club would probably offer him some role within the organization, but we’re not talking about stability and a few bucks. This is life-changing money some want Beckham to forgo so they feel better about the state of the Giants at the start of summer.

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Remember that Nicks also isn’t the only example of a New York wide receiver who lost money because of injury woes over the past decade. Steve Smith, a favorite target of quarterback Eli Manning, suffered a serious knee injury late in the 2010 season, and he was never again the same weapon in any offense.

Beckham was on the field playing alongside Victor Cruz in October 2014 when Cruz’s knee betrayed him in a moment that cost the beloved salsa-dancing receiver the rest of that campaign and the entire 2015 season. The Giants moved on from Cruz earlier this year.

The possibility exists all the hot takes about Beckham’s actions over the past couple of weeks will be for naught, and he will keep his word and make a return to New Jersey next week. Assuming an agent or other members of his camp — not to mention some teammates who probably want him to get paid while he can — have convinced him to stay away as a negotiating ploy, fans need to realize Beckham is being smart by looking out for No. 1 in a business that spits players out literally every year.

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Beckham is, at worst, one of the top five receivers in the NFL today, and he is in a position to be paid as are others at that same level. This situation serves as another reminder to customers who spend hard-earned money on tickets and merchandise that the NFL is a business, and talented individuals such as Beckham must cash-in their chips whenever they can.

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New York Giants: Odell Beckham deserves to hold out, get paid

By Zac Wassink | Jun 7, 2017

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had earned the right to sit out if he wants a bigger contract from the club this summer.

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