New York Giants: New, matured Odell Beckham Jr. much needed

Now that Odell Beckham Jr. has his new, hefty contract with the New York Giants, the star wide receiver appears ready to show his maturation.

Frustration was one of the defining themes of the 2017 season for the New York Giants. Though he wasn’t on the field for over half the year due to injury, frustration is also something that’s not new to star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Throughout his career, the newly highest-paid receiver in the NFL has had numerous instances of letting his frustration boil over.

Particularly in a few dust-ups with now Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman, Beckham has let his emotions flare a bit out of control. Sure, he’s tried to play them off too, like when he fake-proposed to the kicking net that he’d let his anger out on the previous week. However, the underlying issue has been that his emotions have simply got the best of them.

With new money apparently comes a new man, though. Or at least that’s what Beckham is selling. Heading into a Week 1 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars and outspoken cornerback Jalen Ramsey, there seems like potential for another outburst. But the Giants star is looking to avoid that.

When speaking with the media on Wednesday (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post), Beckham had this to say regarding his meeting with Ramsey and keeping his emotions in check:

"“I don’t want to say I’m a different person but I have different outlooks and perspectives on things,’’ Beckham said Wednesday during an introspective session with the media. “I’ve had a lot happen and you take it and learn and grow from it.’’"

As Beckham and Ramsey have been seen working out together this offseason, the wide receiver did note that the friendliness won’t be there since the two men are competitors. Having said that, it’s certainly refreshing to hear OBJ talk about a newfound sense of self-control.

In paying Beckham the massive amount that they agreed to, the Giants are banking on him being a star — that’s obvious. More than that, though, that kind of money demands more from the player receiving it. They need to be a leader on and off the field, and need to be someone that sets an example for the other 52 players on the roster.

Though Beckham has not been an off-field issue in any meaningful manner, those aforementioned outbursts have undeniably created distractions. It was far from the only concern heading into last season, but it played into the grand scheme of issues under former head coach Ben McAdoo; as Beckham seemingly had trouble controlling his emotions, there was no control within the team.

For the Giants sake, the hope is that this all changes. And according to Beckham, it seems like it’s going to. But you know what they say about actions, words and their volume.