Giants Want Two First-Round Picks For OBJ
The Giants have asked for at least two first-round picks in return for Odell Beckham Jr., a league source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Meanwhile, the Giants continue to insist that they are not shopping the standout wide receiver. 
Although OBJ is among the league’s very best receivers, an asking price of two first-round picks is probably too high to facilitate a deal. The 25-year-old is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is reportedly considering a holdout if he does not get a pricey contract extension. Even if Beckham Jr. backs off of that stance, a team would have to address his long-term future at some point or use the expensive franchise tag to keep him in the fold for 2019.
There’s also behavioral and health concerns to keep in mind. In March, Beckham was caught in a video which may have contained drug use and he has occasionally lost his cool on the field. Last season, a fractured ankle limited Beckham to just four games and he missed the start of his rookie year due to a hamstring issue.
Latest On Odell Beckham Jr.
Although the Giants are not actively shopping wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., team owner John Mara (once again) didn’t dismiss the idea of dealing the star pass-catcher. “Do I want [Beckham] to be traded? Absolutely not,” said Mara, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link). “I want him to be a Giant. I can’t promise that’s going to happen. We’re not looking to get rid of him, OK? I’d like him to be a Giant. But if you’re asking me for a 100% guarantee, nobody has that.” Beckham may reportedly consider a holdout if he’s not extended by the start of the 2018 season, but he’s clearly not in the good graces of New York’s decision-makers at the moment. Mara recently indicated he’s “tired of answering questions” about OBJ, who was involved in a video that may have involved drug use earlier this year.
NFC West Rumors: Seahawks, Cardinals, OBJ
The Seahawks are now without stars Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Jimmy Graham, and Sheldon Richardson as well as up-and-coming wide receiver Paul Richardson, but GM John Schneider is insistent that the team is not in rebuilding mode.
“It’s just always very, very hard to make those decisions to move on from people, but that’s what we have to do in order to be a consistent championship-caliber football team,’’ Schneider said (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). “We don’t want to be having these major rebuilding years. We want to be able to have little re-sets, if you will.”
Last year, the Seahawks went 9-7 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011. It certainly feels like there’s a changing of the guard in the NFC West thanks to the Rams, but Seattle will push to get back on top this year, despite the cap crunch.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Cardinals’ head coach Steve Wilks said he expects doctors to clear running back David Johnson (wrist) in time to be ready for OTAs (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Johnson was arguably the league’s best offensive player in 2016 as he posted more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 20 total touchdowns.
- The Cardinals don’t have any interest in Odell Beckham Jr., according to Mike Jurecki of 98.7 FM (on Twitter). As good as OBJ is, the Cardinals are wary of his contract situation. The wide receiver is slated to earn about $8.5MM in 2018, but he’s pushing for a new deal that would put him at the top of the market for his position. That may mean a salary of $17MM per year or more.
Latest On Giants, Odell Beckham Jr.
The Giants aren’t shopping Odell Beckham Jr., but it doesn’t sound like they’re ruling out a trade either. When asked about the wide receiver at Tuesday’s owners’ meetings, Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said, “He’s on our team right now,” (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). 
Shurmur’s comments echo those of owner John Mara who recently said he is “tired of answering questions about” Beckham’s behavior and refused to say that “anybody is untouchable.” Meanwhile, OBJ is considering a holdout if he does not get a lucrative extension that will take him beyond the 2018 season.
Earlier this month, a video appeared to capture Beckham getting involved with drugs. His mood swings have also caused some headaches for the team in the past, though Shurmur’s new administration will try to help him stay focused on football.
Reading between the lines, it sounds like Beckham can be had via trade, but it would be extremely costly for any team acquiring him. The Giants still seem set on winning in 2018 and they’ll need a big return in order to replace Beckham’s production. As it stands, Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard are the next best wide receivers on the Giants’ depth chart.
Giants Aren’t Shopping Odell Beckham Jr.
Despite some rumors to the contrary, it sounds like Odell Beckham Jr. is staying put. The Giants are not shopping the wide receiver, according to a source who spoke with Kimberly Jones of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Rams To Sign Ndamukong Suh]
On Monday, a report from the New York Daily News indicated that there have been trade talks between the Giants and the Rams regarding Beckham Jr.. However, the Giants know that they are better off with a healthy OBJ and a trade “probably won’t happen,” the source tells Jones.
The 25-year-old (26 in November) lost most of this past season to injury, but outside of that, he has been nothing short of spectacular. In 2016, OBJ had 101 catches for 1,367 yards and ten touchdowns en route to his third career Pro Bowl selection. Beckham Jr. is reportedly considering a holdout if he does get a contract extension, but the Giants plan on working things out with him in one fashion or another rather than trading him.
The Rams have already shaken things up on the defensive side by adding Ndamukong Suh, trading for cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib and signing corner Sam Shields. They also completed one trade with the Giants already when they shipped linebacker Alec Ogletree out east. The Rams have Dave Gettleman’s number saved, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll be pulling off a second deal to land one of the game’s most dynamic playmakers.
Jets Called Browns About No. 1 Pick
The Jets moved up to the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft, but not before aiming for the top selection on the board. Jets GM Mike Maccagnan says that he called the Browns about potentially acquiring the No. 1 pick as a part of due diligence (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini). 
[RELATED: Jets Offered Ndamukong Suh One-Year Deal]
Meanwhile, Maccagnan did not call the Giants about potentially landing the second overall pick. Reading between the lines, it seems that the Jets were unwilling to surrender next year’s first round pick to the Browns and had extra reservations about making such a deal with the rival Giants.
It is widely believed that the Jets are targeting a quarterback with the third pick, but it’s not clear which one(s) they are eyeing. In theory, they could open up their options by trading up again with the Giants at No. 2, but it seems unlikely that they’ll go down that road since they did not engage with them before pulling off the Colts deal.
Giants To Sign S Michael Thomas
The Giants have agreed to terms on a two-year deal with free agent safety Michael Thomas, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Thomas is one of the league’s best special-teamers, as he played more than 70% of the Dolphins’ ST snaps over the past four seasons while leading the NFL in special teams tackles during that time. He should assist a Giants special teams unit that ranked dead last in DVOA a year ago, while he’ll also add a high-character voice in New York’s locker room. Rannan indicated earlier this offseason that Giants general manger Dave Gettleman was intent on altering the club’s culture, and Thomas was specifically mentioned as a viable option for aiding in that effort.
While his defensive playing time has decreased in each of the past two seasons, Thomas started 13 games for Miami as recently as 2015. A such, he could conceivably be in competition for a starting role with the Giants, as Darian Thompson graded as a bottom-20 safety (per Pro Football Focus) while playing opposite Pro Bowler Landon Collins. Thompson played on 96% of New York’s defensive snaps in 2017, so he won’t be easy to jar loose, but Thomas could be in line for snaps, if only in three-safety looks.
Before signing with the Giants, Thomas also took a visit with the Steelers.
Odell Beckham Jr. Considering Holdout?
Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. appears to be threatening a holdout, as he is reportedly unlikely to play in 2018 without a contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Beckham’s reported stance is being made public just one day after Giants owner John Mara said he is “tired of answering questions about” Beckham’s behavior and refused to say that “anybody is untouchable.” The 25-year-old superstar was involved in controversy earlier this month, as he was witnessed in a video which may have contained drug use.
While New York almost surely won’t release Beckham, Mara said a “possibility” exists that OBJ could play out his rookie deal without a new contract. Beckham, though, doesn’t appear amenable to such a scenario, especially given that he’s coming off a fractured ankle which limited him to just four games last season. Scheduled to earn roughly $8.5MM for the upcoming campaign, Beckham will likely target a top-end wide receiver deal with an annual salary approaching $17MM+.
The Giants could conceivably trade Beckham, although it’s unclear what kind of return they could expect. NFL executives suggested wildly different offers to Mike Sando of ESPN.com, with some decision-makers saying New York could reap two first-round picks, with others indicating the Marcus Peters package — a second-rounder and a fourth-rounder — is more likely.
During his first three seasons in the league, Beckham was one of the more productive young wideouts in NFL history. From 2014-16, Beckham totaled 288 receptions, 4,122 yards, and 35 touchdowns, figures which rank first, second, and fourth, respectively, among wide receivers in NFL history during the first three seasons of their respective careers.
Giants Not Locked In On Bradley Chubb
- The Giants trade of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul does not mean the team is dead set on taking his replacement with Bradley Chubb at the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, SportsNet New York’s Ralph Vacchiano writes. He says the move was simply the team dumping JPP’s contract, and the team is happy to move forward with Olivier Vernon, Kareem Martin and Josh Mauro. That being said, the team could still nab the N.C. State standout if it is not sold on a quarterback or wary of taking a running back in Saquon Barkley.
Latest On Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr.
After witnessing star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. in a video which may have contained drug use, Giants owner John Mara doesn’t sound pleased with his club’s most high-profile player, and didn’t rule out the possibility of a Beckham trade.
“I can’t answer that one way or another,” Mara told reporters, including Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. “We’re certainly not shopping him if that’s what you’re asking. But again, when you’re coming off a season where you’re 3-13 and played as poorly as we played, I wouldn’t say that anybody is untouchable.
“You always listen to those things,” Mara said. “But that’s not a scenario that I would like to see happen. I’m tired of answering questions about Odell’s behavior and what the latest incident is. I think he knows what we expect of him. Now it’s up to him.”
While the Giants surely won’t release Beckham, Mara didn’t completely shut the door on the idea of dealing the 25-year-old, while Mara also said there is a “possibility” New York will allow OBJ to play out his rookie contract without an extension in 2018, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. Beckham will earn roughly $8.5MM during the upcoming season, while the 2019 franchise tag will likely cost ~$16-17MM.
Although the Giants seem frustrated by Beckham at the moment, his talent cannot be denied. From 2014-16, Beckham totaled 288 receptions, 4,122 yards, and 35 touchdowns, figures which rank first, second, and fourth, respectively, among wide receivers in NFL history during the first three seasons of their careers. In 2017, however, Beckham managed only four games before a fractured ankle ended his year.