The Odell Beckham Jr. trade rumors aren’t going to be going away anytime soon and another big coal has been added to the heat. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was a guest on The Ross Tucker Football Podcast and speculated that he thinks Beckham trade rumors are real:
“I think it’s absolutely real. I think it’s very real. The prospect, the idea of Odell getting traded. Look, think about everything that transpired during the week at the owners’ meetings. You had the owner of the Giants coming out and say he was not pleased with Odell Beckham Jr, that nobody on the roster is untouchable. You had the GM Dave Gettleman come over and say, basically, when they asked him if he could assure them Odell Beckham Jr. was going to be on the roster next year, he never was willing to do that. You had the head coach saying Odell’s on the team right now. And you can say the quote was taken out of context, that’s fine, but he still said it. And then, you know they’ve been asking for two first round draft picks in return. And then you know the fact that they either have to pay him like the wide receivers from Odell Beckham Jr.’s draft class have been paid; Mike Evans? Sammy Watkins? They have been paid. Odell hasn’t. The Giants have to pay him or trade him. You’re talking about a GM who wants things done his way. He wants the culture a certain way. Already traded Jason Pierre Paul. Same guy who pulled the franchise tag on Josh Norman. I’m just saying, they may have to keep him. They may. Does all this smoke tell you something?”
Schefter went on to state that Beckham will want to be paid “handsomely” and $16 million dollar plus contracts issued for Watkins and Evans would be the floor for Beckham’s contract. Schefter speculates that a possible contract could lead upwards of $19 million per year.
When Schefter offers his opinion, he typically isn’t too far off base. Maybe the Giants do hold onto Beckham. As Schefter said, it’s definitely a possibility, but as he’s pointed out, there’s too much evidence to suggest the Giants are not seriously considering a way to move on from their star wide receiver.
Beckham’s contract will demand a significant sum, but several teams could handle that. It’s just finding someone willing to throw two first round picks in on top of it.