NFC East Notes: Giants, Beckham, Cowboys, Frazier, Eagles
There’s been endless drama this offseason surrounding the Giants and Odell Beckham Jr. Things finally appear to be headed in the right direction for the two sides, and the much awaited contract extension could finally be on the horizon. Beckham recently opted to report to camp on time rather than hold out, and Giants management has in turn spoken very highly of him. Now that a new contract in the near future finally seems like a real possibility, Matt Lombardo of NJ.com spoke with former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry and cap expert Jason Fitzgerald of Overthecap.com about what kind of deal Beckham can expect to get.
Corry said the number one most important thing is that “there wouldn’t be a deal to be made if it didn’t make Beckham the highest-paid wide receiver by average, and with the most guarantees.” Mike Evans recently got a five-year $85MM deal from the Buccaneers, and Corry is quite confident that Beckham will top that. While Fitzgerald notes that the Giants have a league-low $2.13MM in cap space, he thinks they’ll be able to make a deal work by using a “large signing bonus to bring his current year salary down.” Fitzgerald thinks Beckham won’t “sign for anything less than $20 million a season” a number that would make him the league’s highest paid receiver by a substantial margin. Whatever his deal ends up looking like, it seems as if the saga is finally nearing an end and that Beckham will be locked up long-term before too long.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- Cowboys safety Kavon Frazier may have a blood disorder, a source told Brandon George of SportsDay Dallas News. Frazier, who played in 15 games for Dallas last season, is undergoing tests to determine if he will be able to return to the field. The Cowboys placed him on the non-football injury list just before training camp started.
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports would be “shocked if the Eagles don’t make at least two more trades” before the start of the regular season. La Canfora thinks that because of the team’s depth at positions like running back and quarterback, they’ll be forced to move some players through trade rather than cut solid players. La Canfora writes that Eagles president Howie Roseman will try to “spin some of that quantity into truly elite quality” and that he will “explore every option to do so.”
- In case you missed it, the Redskins signed quarterback Colt McCoy to an extension yesterday.
Giants, OBJ Have Yet To Discuss Deal
The Giants haven’t started contract negotiations with Odell Beckham Jr., owner John Mara told reporters on Thursday (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). Mara went on to say that talks will begin “sooner rather than later” and will start “pretty soon.” 
[RELATED: OBJ Denies Allegations, Says He’s Victim Of Extortion]
The Giants have been somewhat reluctant to enter serious talks with Beckham, in part because of their concerns about his maturity. Gradually, however, that perception is changing. Mara believes Beckham is moving in the right direction and his attendance for OTAs, minicamp, and the start of training camp is meaningful for the team.
When talks get underway, Beckham’s side will push for a deal that far exceeds Brandin Cooks‘ new five-year, $80MM+ extension with the Rams. Locking up OBJ, who had three straight seasons with at least 1,300 yards and ten touchdowns, will cost the club at least $90MM with substantial guarantees.
Alternatively, the Giants could control OBJ through the 2020 season via consecutive franchise tags. Doing that would keep the proverbial carrot on the stick for Beckham and minimize the club’s long-term risk, but they would also be exposing themselves to offseason drama and holdout threats.
East Notes: Giants, OBJ, Cowboys, Patriots
The Giants don’t appear to have moved any closer to a contract extension for star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. A source tells Vacchiano New York has taken a patient approach to negotiations, as the club not only wanted to check in on Beckham’s health after he missed most of the 2017 season, but his commitment. Beckham reported to training camp on time, an indication that he’s both ready to play and talk about a new deal. Despite his injury issues in 2017, Beckham figures to reset the wide receiver market on his next contract, which could have an annual salary north of $17MM.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Speaking of Beckham, TMZ Sports recently reported the Giants wideout is being sued in civil court, but Beckham says he’s the victim of extortion, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. “Mr. Beckham denies the recently added allegations, and further denies any wrongdoing whatsoever related to the alleged incident,” Beckham’s attorney said. “As stated before, he will not be extorted and his position as to the pending suit has not changed.” The suit against Beckham contains allegations of drug use, violence, and other transgressions, but it’s hard to imagine anything serious will come of the case.
- Despite the NFL’s recent pullback on their national anthem policy, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said today that he will not allow any of his players to remain in the locker room during the anthem, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). The league will no longer enforce its previously announced policy, which would have led to teams being fined if players “did not respect” the anthem. It’s unclear exactly what Jones can do to prevent his players from staying in the locker room, or performing a visual protest, but it’s an issue to keep an eye as the season gets underway.
- Patriots offensive tackle Marcus Cannon only appeared in seven games last season as he battled an ankle injury, but he’s “good to go” ahead of training camp, tweets Jeff Howe of The Athletic. While New England will face upheaval at the left tackle position, right tackle is spoken for by Cannon, who’s become one of the league’s best players on the right side. Cannon signed a five-year, $32.5MM extension with the Patriots in 2016, meaning he’s now under contract through the 2021 campaign.
- Former Wisconsin and Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema is now officially a member of the Patriots’ staff, reports Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who adds Bielema’s official title will be “consultant to the head coach.” While it’s unclear exactly why Bielema will be doing as he advises Bill Belichick, he sounded incredibly excited about his new role when speaking to the media earlier this year.
Odell Beckham Jr. To Report To Giants
Odell Beckham Jr will report on time to Giants training camp on Wednesday, Kim Jones of NFL Network tweets. This news was largely expected as OBJ told reporters in June that he would not hold out. 
“He wants to play football, he wants to win,” a source close to Beckham told Jones.
In June, it was reported that the Giants and OBJ have yet to start serious extension discussions. One month later, we have yet to hear about any new developments on that front. Beckham is likely frustrated by the lack of talks, but he’ll put his best foot forward in an effort to compel the new regime to give him a mammoth extension.
Beckham’s three full seasons all rank in the top five in Giants history and he’s on pace to become the club’s best all-time wide receiver. He’s looking for a monster deal to match, and that probably means a package of at least $90MM with substantial guarantees. The Giants want to get a deal done, but Beckham’s injury history and maturity issues are giving them some pause.
OBJ is set to earn nearly $8.5MM in 2018 before, theoretically, hitting the open market. Of course, it’s highly unlikely the Giants will allow Beckham to get anywhere near free agency. Realistically, Beckham can be retained via the franchise tag for the following two seasons, keeping him under club control through the 2020 season.
East Notes: Beckham, S. Jones, Patriots
The Giants and star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. are far apart in extension talks, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes Beckham should stage a holdout. After all, if Beckham reports for training camp — as he said he will do — but does not get the deal he’s looking for, then he would essentially be foreclosed from holding out. As Florio notes, a player who reports and then leaves subjects himself to a “five-day letter,” in which a team advises such player that, if he does not return within five days, he will be put on the reserve/left squad list, thereby tolling his contract for a full year. And, if Beckham reports but does not practice with the team until he gets a new deal, he could be subject to fines and suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.
As such, Florio believes Beckham’s only chance to get the contract he deserves this year is to hold out and put a little pressure on the Giants, which none of his other alternatives would do. Beckham, though, appears to be sensitive to the stigma associated with holdouts, so this will remain a fascinating case to monitor.
Now for more from the league’s east divisions:
- Matt Lombardo of NJ.com names the secondary as perhaps the biggest weakness on the Giants‘ roster, though he says UDFA cornerback Grant Haley — who reportedly received a whopping $100K in guaranteed money from Big Blue — could be a solid slot corner in his rookie season. Lombardo also says the team could reunite with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, which grows more likely the longer DRC lingers on the open market.
- Eagles cornerback Sidney Jones had a strong offseason, but as Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com observes, Jones spent the last three practices of the spring on the sideline with soreness in his lower body. Philadelphia has said that soreness is wholly unrelated to the Achilles injury that forced Jones to miss almost all of his rookie season, but Shorr-Parks says the fact that the Washington product was forced to miss the most important practices of the spring with a vague injury is noteworthy. The team needs Jones to live up to his collegiate potential, which would have a positive trickle-down effect on the rest of a secondary that needs to replace Patrick Robinson (as of now, Shorr-Parks says, Jalen Mills is the favorite to serve as the Eagles’ nickel corner, a role that Robinson filled so admirably last year).
- Free agent WR Eric Decker indicated earlier this week that the Patriots would be a good fit for him, and while no team — including the Patriots – has publicly expressed interest in Decker in nearly three months, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says New England could be interested once it has had the opportunity to fully evaluate its receiving corps in training camp.
- One potentially key member of the Patriots‘ receiving corps, Malcolm Mitchell, is unsure if he will be ready for the start of training camp. Per Stephen Hewitt of the Boston Herald, Mitchell — who missed all of the 2017 campaign with a knee injury after a promising rookie season — simply said “we’ll see” when asked if he would be ready to go when camp opens next month. New England would love to have a healthy Mitchell, especially in light of Julian Edelman‘s impending four-game suspension.
- Reiss says that Patriots‘ UDFA punter Corey Bojorquez is a legitimate threat to incumbent Ryan Allen.
Giants, Odell Beckham Jr. Yet To Begin Serious Extension Discussions
Despite Odell Beckham Jr. having become extension-eligible in January 2017, he and the Giants aren’t far along in contract discussions.
The Giants have held preliminary talks with Beckham about what would have to be a monstrous re-up, but Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports no serious negotiations have begun. This comes on the heels of Beckham saying he’ll be at Giants camp, but some caveats exist regarding that pledge. The sides have not been close on terms in these early conversations.
Beckham’s camp, per Vacchiano, does not believe the Giants are willing to participate in serious talks at this time, despite the wideout’s status and contributions to the team. The Giants want to see their top weapon on the field to make sure he’s the same player after undergoing season-ending ankle surgery last year.
Beckham’s side would like the Giants to open serious discussions and be amenable to meeting the wideout halfway regarding his deal demands, Vacchiano reports. It’s been reported Beckham’s had a good rapport with New York’s new coaching staff, but at this juncture, it does not appear that’s translating into legitimate extension talks.
Pat Shurmur said Beckham had been cleared for minicamp action, but Beckham did not participate in team drills last week. He has, however, been present for most of the Giants’ offseason workouts, while fellow extension-anglers Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald have not shown up at their respective teams’ sessions.
Vacchiano writes that a Beckham holdout half-measure could involve the wideout refusing to participate in team drills at training camp, which would be approximately nine months since his surgery. Beckham did not look limited by his surgically repaired ankle during his individual drills, so the Giants would surely take that as a sign of discontent if he were to take this route. Shurmur said he expects Beckham to be 100 percent by the time the Giants begin camp.
Beckham’s on pace to become the greatest wide receiver in this franchise’s near-100-year history. His three full seasons all rank in the top five in Giants history, with only Victor Cruz‘s 2011 outpacing Beckham’s best work. But his demands have long been believed to be immense, which makes sense given his age and superstar status.
Extra Points: Beckham, Luck, Browns, Hawks
On Day 1 of the true NFL offseason, here’s the latest, beginning with a difference from Odell Beckham Jr.‘s 2017 situation in which the Giants’ star pass-catcher currently finds himself.
- Beckham hasn’t joined 2014 draft-class peers Khalil Mack, Aaron Donald and Taylor Lewan in holding out. He showed up for Giants minicamp and said he would be there for training camp. His standing in the organization may be on the rise, too. One new Giants coach told SI.com’s Albert Breer that Beckham “has been awesome” to the new personnel in the building. Breer said the perennial Pro Bowl wideout will have more people in the organization going to bat for him during these negotiations than was the case last year. The talks, though, aren’t progressing at this point.
- This offseason’s gone much more smoothly for Andrew Luck than his initial post-shoulder surgery months did. Breer notes the Colts quarterback made it about 5 1/2 months in 2017 before enduring setbacks, ones that ultimately erased his ’17 season. Now, Luck is throwing again, having privately participated in a post-minicamp workout Friday, per Breer. While Luck still has some significant obstacles to navigate, the Colts’ new coaching staff isn’t concerned about his timeline. The team, though, will give Luck days off during training camp, Breer reports, and organize his reps like they’d be distributed during the regular season.
- One reason the Browns opted for Denzel Ward over Bradley Chubb, who they had rated alongside one another on the non-quarterback sector of their draft board: a belief in third-year defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah. A Sashi Brown-era investment, Ogbah played well before breaking his foot last November. The new-look Browns are high on Ogbah having a strong season opposite Myles Garrett, Terry Pluto of cleveland.com notes.
- Byron Maxwell‘s enjoyed an up-and-down career, but as of now, he’s the favorite to start opposite Shaquill Griffin for the Seahawks, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com notes. He will be playing the same spot he did in Super Bowl XLIX, right cornerback, after the team moved Griffin to Richard Sherman‘s old left corner position. Maxwell’s experience on the right side was one of the reasons the Seahawks relocated Griffin, Pete Carroll said.
- Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal is eligible for the supplemental draft, and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter already posited he could be the highest-drafted player in this summer event since Josh Gordon went in the 2012 second round. Scouts have also raved about Beal, with Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com reporting evaluators he spoke to assigned a first-round grade to the defender. While this grade was contingent on his entering the regular 2019 draft, a team figures to give up one of its 2019 selections in order to draft Beal in the supplemental event. Offensive lineman Isaiah Battle was the last player chosen in the supplemental draft; the Rams used a fifth-round pick on him in 2015.
Beckham, Giants Far Apart On Extension
Odell Beckham Jr. said earlier Saturday he would not hold out from training camp, taking a different line from some of his fellow high-profile 2014 first-round peers. But that doesn’t mean everything’s good on this front.
The Giants’ best player is entering a contract year and has been angling for an extension for some time. As of now, the sides are not close on terms, with Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reporting there has been “no movement” in these re-up talks as of late.
Beckham plans to report to Giants training camp on time, but a source informed Vacchiano those plans could change if his contract negotiations continue to stall. The 25-year-old wide receiver showed up for OTAs and minicamp, despite recovering from an injury and with Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald skipping their respective teams’ offseason activities. But this impasse has generated headlines for some time.
Beckham seeks a contract that surpasses Antonio Brown‘s and makes him the league’s highest-paid pass-catcher. Although Beckham has no first-team All-Pro appearances on his resume, compared to Brown’s four, he has an obvious case to be this position’s highest-paid player. He’s four years younger than Brown and is vital to a Giants team that’s just made it clear it still believes in Eli Manning. For Big Blue’s offense to excel, it will need Beckham.
Big Blue is set to pay its No. 1 wide receiver $8.4MM this season on a fifth-year option. Brown earns $17MM per year. A $100MM pact for Beckham has been mentioned in this lengthy saga. It’s unclear exactly where Beckham wants to take the market, but 2014 draftee Mike Evans signed for $16.5MM annually earlier this year. That almost certainly won’t cut it with Beckham, but it may be clear the Giants — at least, at this juncture — do not view a deal that far surpasses that as realistic.
In the latter stages of his rehab from a broken ankle, Beckham ran routes but did not participate in team drills at minicamp. The Giants did not invest too much in the receiver position this offseason. They released Brandon Marshall and did not draft a wideout, perhaps showing confidence they can come to terms with Beckham — a trade-rumor subject earlier this offseason — before the start of the regular season. Although Dave Gettleman‘s taken hardline stances with Panthers players in the past, John Mara hasn’t made it a secret what he thinks about the LSU alum’s abilities.
Odell Beckham Jr. Says He Won’t Hold Out
There’s no need to worry, Giants fans. While we previously heard reports that Odell Beckham Jr. would likely attend Giants training camp, the receiver has confirmed the news himself. The 25-year-old told Ralph Vacchiano that he’ll indeed be at Giants camp and won’t be holding out (Twitter link).
Beckham, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury last year, had received clearance to participate in Giants work outs earlier this week. However, the wideout decided to skip team drills, focusing instead on progressing his recovery. The Pro Bowler is still hoping to participate in 11-on-11 drills by training camp, and reports indicated that the star receiver and the team were on the same page.
Of course, just because Beckham isn’t planning a hold out doesn’t mean he isn’t eyeing a brand-new contract. The receiver is set to earn nearly $8.5MM next season before hitting unrestricted free agency, and he’d surely opt for a lucrative long-term deal with the Giants considering his recent injury history. However, if New York isn’t willing to hand Beckham one of the largest contracts of all time, the receiver might be willing to play out the 2018 season and test his market next offseason.
Following three straight seasons with at least 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns, Beckham was limited to only 25 receptions for 302 yards and three touchdowns in 4 games (two starts) last season.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants
Many are fretting about the Cowboys‘ lack of a true No. 1 wide receiver, but newcomer Allen Hurns is not among them.
“As far as this locker, to ourselves or in the meeting rooms, we don’t talk about that at all,” said Hurns (via Charean Williams of PFT). “The main thing for us is we come in and compete and try to earn our job. I feel like we’ve got a lot of guys who’ve got to come in and prove ourselves regardless. It’s motivation, but that’s not our main motivation. Our main motivation is to come in and be great. Me, I’m not coming off my best year. That’s the same with Beas. He didn’t have his best year last year. Same with TWill [Terrance Williams] and Tavon [Austin]. The list goes on. We’re not coming off our best year. Being young guys coming into the league, you’ve got something to prove. That’s not our main motivation, but it does add fuel to the fire.”
Hurns is the Cowboys’ only receiver with a 1,000-yard campaign to his credit, and that was back in 2015. Many see that as cause for concern, but then again, quarterback Dak Prescott has been known to move the ball around in his offense.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said he expects all his players to be at training camp. He added that there is ‘no reason to believe’ Odell Beckham won’t be able to do everything at practice (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). For now, Beckham seems on course to attend training camp even as he pressures the team for a monster multi-year extension.
- The Cowboys worked out defensive end Jimmy Bean this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Bean was on the Raiders’ practice squad in 2016 and recovering from an injury last year. This marked the second time Dallas has worked him out, though he has been reached just yet.
- This week, the Redskins wrapped up their draft class by signing third-round tackle Geron Christian.