Odell Beckham Jr.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, OBJ, Redskins

June 13th, 2017 at 5:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Earlier this week, Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant attempted to recruit free agent cornerback Darrelle Revis via Twitter. Subsequent reports indicated that the organization wasn’t pursuing the veteran, but head coach Jason Garrett was rather vague when addressing the rumors today.

“Yeah, I really don’t know the nature of that,” Garrett said (via Jon Machota of The Dallas News). “Obviously we have a lot of respect for Revis. He’s been a great player in this league for a long time.”

Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli deferred to the front office.

“I wouldn’t even speculate on anything like that,” he said. “That’s in the front office. They are the ones that decide those things.”

Predictably, Marinelli acknowledged that there could be a role for the seven-time Pro Bowler.

“Any great player you can,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where he’s at, what position.”

As we wait to see how this plays out, let’s take a look at other notes from the NFC East…

Odell Beckham Jr. grabbed headlines this month by staying away from the Giants during OTAs, but he says that he’s not fretting his contract situation. “I leave that in the hands of the man above,” Beckham said (according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post on Twitter). “When that time comes, that time comes. Right now is really not the time to discuss it. When it comes, it’ll come.”
Giants defensive end Owa Odighizuwa is handling “personal issues” and isn’t expected to be present at mandatory minicamp, reports ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan (via Twitter). The former third-round pick, who also wasn’t present for OTAs, has played in 18 games over the past two seasons, compiling six tackles.
Redskins running back Matt Jones was absent during OTAs, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the veteran was present for mandatory minicamp. Recent reports indicated that Jones wasn’t “a part of the team’s plans for 2017,” which echoed previous rumors that the team was shopping the 24-year-old. Jones appeared in seven games last season, running for 460 yards and three touchdowns on 99 carries.

Zach Links contributed to this report.

Odell Beckham Jr. Reports To Giants

June 12th, 2017 at 8:58am CST by Zachary Links

ODB is in the house. The Giants welcomed Odell Beckham Jr. to the team facility today for his scheduled physical, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. The receiver also posted a video on Instagram declaring that he is “back” and ready to go.

Tuesday marks the start of mandatory minicamp and there was little fear that Beckham Jr. would extend his holdout into that phase of the offseason. His participation in team activities before that point, however, could be taken as a sign of good vibes between the two sides. There are conflicting reports on whether Beckham Jr. was staying away from the team to gain leverage for a new deal, but if that is indeed the case, then it doesn’t sound like the receiver is necessarily mad at the team.

The Giants don’t have a ton of incentive to give Beckham Jr. a new contract this offseason. For now, he’s slated to play out 2017 for a below-market $1.8MM salary. Then, the Giants control Beckham through a fifth-year option for $8.5MM, a rate that is still quite affordable for a player of his caliber. It would make sense for the Giants to open up talks with Beckham next offseason, though the team could still control him for years beyond 2018 with the franchise tag.

In 2016, Beckham earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod with 101 receptions for 1,367 yards and ten touchdowns.

East Notes: Revis, Jets, Giants

June 11th, 2017 at 9:18am CST by Rory Parks

The Cowboys have a fair amount of cap space, but they are reportedly uninterested in adding Darrelle Revis to their defensive backfield. That doesn’t mean, however, that certain Dallas players don’t want to see Revis in silver-and-blue in the fall. Star wideout Dez Bryant tweeted Revis yesterday afternoon, saying, “Dallas?…I promise you are going to love what we got going on around here..your attitude fits our culture…waiting…..” While the Cowboys are doubtlessly pleased to see that Bryant is happy in Dallas, Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk confirms the earlier report that the team is unlikely to sign Revis. The Cowboys signed Nolan Carroll and drafted three corners this offseason, and they have chosen to build through the draft in recent years rather than sign expensive free agents.

Now for more from the league’s east divisions:

Rich Cimini of ESPN.com has a number of Jets-related notes this morning, and he observes that, outside of this year’s No. 6 overall selection, Jamal Adams, the player who has really stood out in the team’s OTAs is fellow rookie safety Marcus Maye. Maye, a second-round choice, impressed the organization with his ability to digest the defense and limit his mental mistakes on the practice field, leading New York to believe it could have an excellent safety tandem on its hands.
Cimini also believes that the Jets are making a mistake by parting ways with Eric Decker. He says young quarterbacks like Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty need a reliable wide receiver to help their development, and without Decker, New York really does not have such a player. Cimini also says that, if Jeremy Maclin signs somewhere other than Baltimore, the Jets’ leverage in Decker trade talks with the Ravens would of course increase, though he does not expect the Jets to get anything higher than a late-round draft choice for Decker regardless of what happens with Maclin.
Cimini also notes that there is “nothing cooking” on the Sheldon Richardson trade front, and that the Jets are prepared to go into the season with him and are hoping he can boost his value in advance of the trade deadline.
We have heard a lot about a potential long-term deal for Giants receiver Odell Beckham lately, but James Kratch of NJ.com, like many other writers, believes the most likely outcome is that OBJ plays out the 2017 season on his modest $1.8MM salary and that the two sides begin discussing a multi-year extension after the season.
In the same piece, Kratch says the Giants really like second-year kicker Aldrick Rosas, who has been exceedingly impressive in offseason practices, and that it is unlikely Big Blue adds a veteran kicker at this point.
Eagles rookie Nate Gerry‘s conversion to linebacker is going well, as Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com writes. The Nebraska product has put on about 16 pounds over the past month in his effort to go from hard-hitting collegiate safety to professional linebacker, and he will have the opportunity to get significant playing time in an unsettled linebacker unit in Philadelphia.

Extra Points: 49ers, NFLPA, OBJ, Ihedigbo

June 9th, 2017 at 9:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Pass rusher Elvis Dumervil told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area that he spoke with a “handful of teams” between his release from the Ravens in March and his signing with the 49ers this week. In the end, Dumervil’s familiarity with general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan helped direct him to San Francisco. Dumervil played with Lynch in Denver from 2006-07, when Kyle Shanahan’s father, Mike Shanahan, was the Broncos’ coach. The elder Shanahan drafted Dumervil, who has since racked up 99 sacks. Now, even though he’s 33 and coming off an Achilles injury that limited him to eight games last season, Dumervil feels “great” and believes he has “a few years left, for sure.”

Odell Beckham To Get $100MM+?

June 8th, 2017 at 8:55pm CST by Rory Parks

We have heard conflicting reports as to whether Odell Beckham‘s absence from OTAs is connected to his desire for a new contract, but regardless of OBJ’s motivations, the Giants want to keep him around for the long haul. They have not yet started long-term negotiations with their star wideout, but they do have some time, as Beckham is under contract through the 2018 season.

Of course, New York could hit Beckham with the franchise tag after after 2018, but as the division-rival Redskins have learned, that approach could get very expensive very fast, and it makes sense that Big Blue would want to lock Beckham up sooner rather than later. And when that happens, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.com says many people around the NFL expect OBJ to receive the largest contract ever given to a receiver (depending on how it’s measured), which could have a total value of over $100MM.

After all, as Vacchiano observes, Beckham’s age (24) and incredible stats through his first three seasons in the league have put him into rarefied air, which means that he will be more than entitled to ask for the five years that Julio Jones recently got from the Falcons, and an average annual value that bests the $17MM figure that the 28-year-old Antonio Brown landed with the Steelers. Vacchiano suggests that the Giants might start their negotiations at five years, $90MM (with $45MM guaranteed), and from there, it would not be difficult to see Beckham eclipse the $100MM mark. Per Vacchiano, NFL agents and front office personnel believe he will at least come close if he stays healthy and productive between now and the time contract talks really get serious, which Vacchiano says will likely happen at the end of the 2017 season.

Extra Points: Jets, Kap, OBJ, Megatron

June 7th, 2017 at 9:03pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jets moved on from linebacker David Harris and wide receiver Eric Decker solely for financial reasons, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Jets owner Woody Johnson, realizing that the team wasn’t going to compete this year even with Harris and Decker, decided it would make more sense to save $13.75MM than spend it on the two veterans. Committing to a rebuild is a commendable approach, writes Mehta, though he questions the way the Jets handled the Harris situation. Jets bigwigs assured Harris back in March that he’d return to the team for an 11th year, but they then approached him about a pay cut 72 hours before releasing him, per Mehta. Johnson’s desire to save money drove that decision, and Harris is now looking for work at a time when free agency has died down. Harris’ agents complained Tuesday that the Jets didn’t just release the defender over the winter, as doing so probably would’ve led to a stronger market for his services.

As for two of Johnson’s highest-ranking employees, general manager Mike Maccagnan and head coach Todd Bowles, they should be in line to return in 2018 if the rebuilding club’s young players progress this year, writes Mehta. But Brian Costello of the New York Post passes along somewhat different information, relaying that Maccagnan will probably stay on but that “Bowles is viewed as a goner by nearly everyone.” Talent-wise, the deck is stacked against Bowles as he enters his third season with the Jets and the penultimate year of his contract. “They have the worst roster in the league and it’s not close,” one executive told Costello. Harris’ release added another hole to the roster, and his exit hit Bowles “hard,” according to Costello.

Colin Kaepernick‘s inability to find a job as a backup quarterback continues to be a popular topic, and one of his friends, Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin, weighed in on the matter after Seattle signed Austin Davis instead of Kaepernick. “The organizations, they’re going to be giving the younger guys the first and second look. They know what Colin can do,” Baldwin told the Associated Press on Tuesday. “They know he’s a starter in this league. They’re going to give every opportunity for the young guys to compete, show their talents, and then whatever falls he’ll get his opportunities once all this dust settles.” While many believe Kaepernick is unemployed largely because the then-49er refused to stand for the national anthem last season, Baldwin doesn’t see that as a significant factor. “To some degree, but I think that’s really minor,” Baldwin said. “There are 32 teams out there. Not all of them really care about that. I have no doubt in my mind he’ll have a job here rather quickly.”
With one report suggesting that Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t attended OTAs because he wants a raise, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk contends that it would likely take a multiyear deal with at least $30MM guaranteed to lock him up. Meanwhile, Steve Serby of the New York Post proposes a six-year, $103.5MM contract – including $47.5MM guaranteed – that would make Beckham the game’s highest-paid wideout.
Contrary to a prior report, Calvin Johnson did not repay the Lions $320K of his $3.2MM signing bonus when he retired in March 2016. The former receiver actually forked over a much larger sum, at least $1MM, according to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press.

NFC Notes: OBJ, Rodgers, E. Decker, Lions

June 7th, 2017 at 7:02pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday morning that Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has been away from OTAs because he wants a new contract. That isn’t the case, according to The Record’s Art Stapleton, as a source told him that Beckham’s absence amounts to nothing more than a player exercising his right to skip voluntary workouts. Regardless of where the truth lies, the Giants are motivated to keep the 24-year-old superstar for the long haul. Contract negotiations haven’t begun yet, co-owner John Mara revealed Tuesday, but he added, “Obviously we want him to be a Giant for the rest of his career.”

Giants’ Odell Beckham Pushing For New Deal

June 7th, 2017 at 8:58am CST by Zachary Links

Odell Beckham Jr.’s absence from voluntary organized team activities is directly tied to his desire for the Giants to give him a new contract, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Meanwhile, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan that Beckham is expected to attend minicamp. Unlike OTAs, players who miss minicamp are subject to hefty fines.

Beckham has been one of several Giants players who have missed OTAs, but his absence has garnered the most attention. It has been suspected that a contract dispute is at the heart of his absence, but today’s report from Schefter is our first confirmation of that.

Beckham, one of the game’s very best wide receivers, is slated to make $1.8MM in 2017 per the terms of his rookie deal. The Giants have picked up his fifth-year option for the 2018 season which should pay him ~$8MM, but ODB is looking for dollars and certainty beyond that point. After three straight seasons with at least 1,300 receiving yards, the 24-year-old is likely looking for a deal that will reset the market at his position.

In theory, the Giants don’t have to rush to give Beckham a new deal. Between the aforementioned option and the franchise tag, Beckham could be under team control through at least the 2021 season.

New York Notes: Beckham, Giants, Marshall

May 27th, 2017 at 10:21am CST by Ben Levine

Odell Beckham Jr. is a notable no-show from Giants OTAs, although this isn’t necessarily anything new. While the practices aren’t mandatory, coach Ben McAdoo made it clear that he’d prefer full attendance over the 10 days.

“You want all your players here, especially your great players,” the coach said (via Steve Serby of the New York Post). “It’s a time to build fundamentals and communication and chemistry and trust, so you want all your players here, especially the great ones. They facilitate a lot of those things for you, but you coach who’s here. That’s what time of year it is for us.”

As Anthony Barstow of the New York Post points out, Beckham seemingly responded to those comments on Friday night. The star receiver retweeted a tweet from NewsOne Now managing editor Roland Martin that read “I’m sick of folks acting like star athletes must always do what a coach asks. McAdoo wants @OBJ_3 at workouts? See ya when it’s mandatory.”

While Beckham’s absence can presumably be attributed to his unwillingness to travel across the country for non-mandatory practices, the 24-year-old could also be sending a subtle hint regarding his contract. The wideout’s salary for 2017 is at $1.8MM, an absolute bargain considering Beckham’s three straight seasons with at least 1,300 receiving yards. The Giants picked up his $8.5MM fifth-year option, and the receiver is now eligible for an extension.

For what it’s worth, Beckham made it clear that he’d be attending the team’s mandatory minicamp in mid-June.

Let’s take a look at some other notes from out of New York…

Tara Sullivan of NorthJersey.com says Beckham is unable “to stop making everything so hard on himself.” The writer believes it would have been in the receiver’s best interest to attend OTAs, especially following the “hole-punching” fiasco and a public call-out by Giants general manager Jerry Reese.
Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like Beckham’s teammates are concerned with his (or defensive end Olivier Vernon‘s) absence. “It’s voluntary,” Damon Harrison told Sullivan. “I’m more than sure OV and OBJ are somewhere working out just as hard, or maybe even harder than we are. I’m confident they’ll come in and be ready. … They have some valid reasons why they’re not here; I’m sure they’re not here just because they didn’t feel like coming. If I didn’t live in New Jersey I probably wouldn’t be here right now. OV is from Miami. Have you seen the weather here lately? I’d run from it too. I’m sure they got some good reasons why.”
Jalin Marshall‘s impending four-game suspension means the Jets wideout has to prove that he’s worth a roster spot during the preseason, and the second-year player recognizes this uphill battle. “I can’t really think about what’s going to happen when the season starts,” he said (via Ethan Greenberg of NewYorkJets.com). “I do have four preseason games to play. If you play well, everything else speaks for itself. They can’t rid of a guy who’s going to help the team win, so that’s what I try to do day in and day out. Go out there and make sure they know I can help the team win.”
Earlier this week, Collette Smith became the first woman to ever join the Jets’ coaching staff.

Extra Points: Beckham, Bears, Browns

May 22nd, 2017 at 10:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Odell Beckham Jr. did not report to Day 1 of Giants OTAs, Dan Duggan of NJ.com reports. The reason for the absence is not known, per Duggan. These are voluntary workouts, so Beckham cannot be fined for missing them. The Giants will convene again Tuesday, and Thursday’s session will be the first featuring media availability. Duggan reports Beckham being absent for this part of Big Blue’s calendar isn’t new; the superstar wideout was not a consistent presence at last year’s OTAs. The three-time Pro Bowl receiver is attached to a $1.8MM salary in 2017, but New York predictably picked up his $8.5MM fifth-year option. Beckham is now eligible for an extension that would stand to be in line with the top receivers in football, and while he’s displayed some mercurial tendencies, he’s already shown himself to be historically dominant Giants playmaker.

Here’s the latest from around the league.

The Bears are in the process of moving Kyle Long to a third position, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports. He and Josh Sitton are set to swap spots, with Long shuttling to left guard and Sitton sliding over to the right side. Sitton has extensive experience at both guard slots, having played at least four years at each. Long, though, has never played left guard in the NFL. He played right tackle in 2015 but was relocated back to his customary right guard slot last season. Long did suit up at left guard while at Oregon. Long is still rehabbing from the ankle injury that ended his season after eight games, Biggs reports. Sitton started at right guard from 2009-12 for the Packers, who switched he and T.J. Lang in 2013 because of Lang’s more physical approach.
Justin Pugh signing an extension this offseason would come as a surprise to NJ.com’s James Kratch, who writes that it makes sense for neither side to rush this process. The Giants want to see Pugh make it through a season unscathed after he missed nine combined games between 2014-16. Pugh discussed being in a good spot regarding his second contract, seemingly content to reach free agency after noticing the guard deals of March.
Jason McCourty is a possible free safety candidate for the Browns, Pat McManamon of ESPN.com notes. Hue Jackson said the newly acquired defender, a career-long corner, would get a look at safety and the team would play the best four in the secondary. Ed Reynolds will start Cleveland’s OTA workouts at safety, per Jackson. Upon signing, McCourty said he’d be willing to play free safety. Twin brother Devin McCourty, of course, has been a standout back-line defender for the Patriots. It would certainly behoove the Browns to involve McCourty as much as possible, and they are light on experience at safety. They still have Jamar Taylor, who played better in Cleveland than he did in Miami, at corner and drafted Jabrill Peppers as a safety. But the latter doesn’t have much experience there.
The Browns will relocate inside linebacker Christian Kirksey to the weak side in Gregg Williams‘ 4-3 look, McManamon reports. Kirksey led the Browns by nearly 50 tackles last season by registering 148 stops.

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