New York Giants: Odell Beckham Jr. is untradeable

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is untradeable, and there’s no price that changes that reality this winter.

The New York Giants can’t trade wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. this winter. They can’t, and they won’t. It’s almost unfathomable this subject is worthy of any discussion, but those who listen to local New York sports talk radio know that fans and callers who evidently have too much time on their hands cannot let this subject go for whatever reasons. Beckham trade suggestions keep popping up, like a pimple that needs to be popped once and for all.

Let’s begin with the fact that the Giants would never receive equal value in a trade for the dynamic 25-year old offensive weapon. The Cleveland Browns aren’t giving up either of their top two draft picks, let alone both of them, and a chance to select a potential franchise quarterback to land a once-in-a-generation wide receiver. The Indianapolis Colts would have to mortgage the future to match Beckham’s worth, something history tells us won’t happen. Beckham is essentially priceless in a world where draft picks are treated like gold.

Beckham isn’t merely a good wide receiver who could be replaced with a high draft pick or via free agency. When fully healthy, he is arguably the best in the business, a home-run hitter who can take the ball to the house from just about anywhere on the field and who can catch nearly any pass tossed his way. Yes, Beckham has dropped balls during games. It happens. The all-time greats dropped passes. No player, however talented, is perfect.

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Regardless of what certain media members would have you believe because of nonsensical agendas they try to push, Beckham isn’t a distraction in the locker room. He’s well-liked among Giants players. Unlike certain others on the roster who may not be with the franchise come late March, nobody has ever accused Beckham of quitting on the team or entering the offseason before the conclusion of a Week 17 game.

Maybe you didn’t love when he acted like a dog relieving itself in the end zone after a touchdown. Perhaps you found it weird when he battled with — and then proposed to — a kicking net on the sideline. That’s fine. Your fake anger about these moments must, for the sake of sanity, be matched with a realization that a massive figurative line separates a player who is eccentric from one who creates problems and headaches for coaching staffs, quarterbacks and a front office.

Beckham doesn’t get in trouble with the law or the NFL office with any regularity. He isn’t a dirty player. He doesn’t land in jail during offseasons, nor does he have a lengthy suspension history outside of December 2015. Even the idea that he could skip training camp in an attempt to force the Giants to pay him what he’s worth was invented, as he showed up when the time came for him to report for workouts.

Beckham’s contract situation is a non-starter because New York holds his rights for the foreseeable future. The Giants obviously aren’t allowing him to enter free agency following the 2018 season. He’ll either be signed to a long-term deal, or the club will use the franchise tag to keep him one more year and then go from there. Beckham will be rocking Big Blue on football fields throughout his prime so long as those running the Giants wish to retain his services.

Anybody still not convinced the Giants can’t and won’t trade Beckham need remember that ownership, the new front office and (probably) the new coaching staff wish to keep quarterback Eli Manning around for another season, both to win games in 2018 and help develop a rookie signal-caller. There’s no scenario where Manning, who turned 37 years old earlier this month, happily loses his best play-maker to help build the franchise’s future. Playing alongside Beckham is Manning’s best chance to win one more Super Bowl with the Giants.

Giants fans are emotional in late January. It’s understandable. Division rivals the Philadelphia Eagles are back in the Super Bowl, and those who cheer against/are jealous of the New England Patriots can’t stand that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick may be on the cusp of winning another title. Trading Beckham fixes nothing, literally nothing, that ailed the Giants in 2017. It doesn’t put the Giants closer to winning a championship before the end of the decade, it doesn’t help Manning, and it doesn’t benefit a new coach.

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Put your phones down. Take a break from social media. The Giants can’t trade Odell Beckham this offseason, and those who don’t understand that are either silly or spend too much time playing versions of Madden. Beckham is the face of the franchise, and no trade offer would be worth forfeiting all he gives the Giants at this stage of his still-promising career.

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