Posted on June 28, 2018, by Travis Pulver
Every team sets out to draft and acquire the best players possible every offseason. How else are they going to become contenders (if they already aren’t)? But when a team get it right and finds a true superstar, they eventually get faced with a rather daunting task—signing him to a contract extension.
Depending on how well he wants (demands) to be paid, that can be easier said than done. Just ask the New York Giants how Odell Beckham Jr.’s negotiations are going.
Via wrlthd.blogspot.com
Beckham deserves a significant raise, and there has been no indication that the Giants are planning on doing anything else. But are they planning on paying him what he feels he’s worth?
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According to media reports, the two sides are not even close to an agreement. With training camp a few weeks away, there is now talk that he could hold out until he gets a deal he can live with. In the past, he has spoken out against holdouts and said he didn’t feel they accomplished anything.
“I have seen the whole holdout and all of that stuff, and I have never really seen that work, so that was never in my mind, to not go to OTAs to get a new contract,” he said back in June of last year. “I don’t really think that that proves a point in my opinion.”
It appears that he has changed his mind.
He’ll accrue a fine for every day of training camp that he misses but the team can waive those fines if it chooses to do so (and probably would). They will not be a factor in anything. The only factor that will matter is each side’s resolve.
How determined are they to win the fight? Who will blink first?
Beckham deserves to be well compensated. But the kind of compensation he’s talked about in the media is kind of high.
Last year he talked about wanting to be the highest paid player in the NFL. At that time, it would have meant something in the $25 million a season range. Now, that numbers been upped to $30 million. Since then, he appears to be willing to settle for $20 million a season.
While the Giants don’t question his value, they have grown weary of some of his antics. His public contract demands, telling the media he will not step foot on a field without a contract and tweeting that he’s not playing in preseason games. There have been some sideline antics ownership has not been crazy about. Co-owner John Mara even stated once that he was tired of talking about his star wide receiver’s behavior.
So—who will blink first?
Beckham. He doesn’t have any real leverage here. The most he can do is refuse to report until after Week 10. At that time, he will have to for the season to count towards free agency. But even if he does report, the Giants will just hit him with the franchise tag.
If he tries to keep playing games at that point, he’ll start scaring teams off. Everyone wants a talent like him but not if he is going to be so difficult to deal with off the field. When push comes to shove, Beckham needs the Giants more than they need him.
He’ll blink first.