Extra Points: Beckham, Stafford, Garrett
Last week, the NFL trade marketplace exploded. Thirty deals occurred since August 1, more than twice the average of the previous five years. Several anonymous execs attempted to explain (via Mike Sando of ESPN.com) theories behind the uptick. Tanking made its way into the conversation, with an executive citing the Jets, Bills and Browns’ recent moves as examples.
“Every owner wants to win,” the exec said, via Sando, “but the real question is: Would you rather go 8-8 or 5-11 plus $30 million? If you are the Jets and you traded Sheldon (Richardson) and got rid of (Eric) Decker, isn’t the owner saying he’d rather go 2-14 and save $40 million than go 6-10? If you are the Bills with Watkins or the Browns with Joe Haden, is it the same thing?”
A separate exec said teams are more willing to part with draft picks due to the current CBA’s practice-time limitations making it more difficult to develop players. The elimination of the 75-man cut date, age of certain GMs and GMs authorizing better, easier to trade contracts came up in Sando’s piece.
As the second half of opening night gets underway, here’s the latest from around the league as 28 other teams prepare for their openers.
- Odell Beckham Jr. faces an uphill battle to play Sunday night, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link) the Giants superstar wideout suiting up against the Cowboys will leave him at far less than 100 percent. Rapoport added “a lot of things have to align perfectly” for the fourth-year player to play in Week 1. Beckham suffered a high ankle sprain in Cleveland just more than two weeks ago. Beckham caught a career-high 100 passes last season and played in all 16 New York games for the first time.
- Matthew Stafford‘s NFL-record contract does not contain offset language, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes. While Stafford’s five-year Lions extension profiles as a three- or four-year pact due to the structure of the guarantees, the quarterback who is not exactly regarded as a top-tier passer stands to play on this deal into his mid-30s. The Lions would not see another team — in the event Stafford is cut — offset any of the guaranteed money owed to Stafford in the event the sides part ways over the course of this deal. Stafford’s deal will come with cap hits of $16.5MM this season, $26.5MM (2018), $29.5MM (’19), $31.5MM (’20), $30MM (’21) and $23MM (’22).
- Over the past year, Browns No. 1 pick Myles Garrett has dealt with two ankle injuries and a foot problem. Hue Jackson, though, will not label his top defensive end as injury-prone just yet. “No concern (of Garrett’s injury issues) because I know exactly how it happened,” said Jackson, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “If you get somebody thrown into your leg, it could happen to any one of our guys. If you guys would have seen it, it could happen to anybody on our football team. It is just unfortunate it happened to a guy who we wish was out there all of the time. That goes with it.” Cabot added Garrett is expected to be out multiple weeks as a result of the high ankle sprain — Garrett’s second in a year — sustained at practice Wednesday.
OBJ Could Miss Regular-Season Time
We already know the Cowboys-Giants Week 1 tilt will probably be without Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott, who’s likely to serve a six-game suspension to open the season. New York might not have its go-to playmaker, either, as wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. “could miss a week or two of the regular season,” a source told Jordan Raanan and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. Beckham sprained his ankle in a preseason game against Cleveland on Monday, though the hit to the left leg he took from Browns cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun could have resulted in a far more serious injury.
After their NFC East showdown with the defending division champion Cowboys, the Giants take on another 2016 playoff team, the Lions, in Week 2. Those are the first of two difficult-looking games in a slate that also includes what look to be tough matchups with the Eagles, Buccaneers, Chargers, Broncos and Seahawks before the Giants’ Week 8 bye. Going without Beckham for any of those first-half contests would be a notable blow, then, though the playoff hopefuls did add to their aerial weaponry in the offseason by signing receiver Brandon Marshall and using a first-round pick on tight end Evan Engram. They also have wideout Sterling Shepard, who hauled in 65 receptions and eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2016.
Beckham, who wants to be the highest-paid player in the NFL someday, has not yet had extension negotiations with the Giants. The club has little incentive to give Beckham a raise, despite his phenomenal output over the first three years of his career, as he’s controllable at affordable prices for the next two seasons and could be a candidate for the franchise tag past that point. But, having come close to suffering a catastrophic injury, the 24-year-old is considering purchasing an insurance policy worth in excess of $100MM.
Odell Beckham Jr. May Get Injury Insurance
A contract extension would give Odell Beckham Jr. some security against an injury scare like the one he got during Monday night’s preseason game against the Browns. While he works to hash things out with the Giants, Beckham is looking to give himself some additional comfort or, at least, drum up some leverage. The wide receiver is thinking about purchasing a massive insurance policy, possibly one in excess of $100MM in injury protection, sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. 
“[If a deal isn’t done] by the regular season, he’ll take steps to protect himself. [But] a new deal is preferable to adding insurance,” one source told Robinson.
A one-year $100MM+ policy would cost Beckham upwards of $600K, Robinson hears. ODB is still on his rookie deal, but he can afford the expense as he is slated to earn $3.3MM in 2017. To date, he has already earned roughly $7MM in NFL salary, not counting his lucrative endorsement deals. The $100MM sum is not coincidental as Beckham has been pushing for a contract that would put him near the $100MM mark.
In 2016, Beckham earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod with 101 receptions for 1,367 yards and ten touchdowns.
Giants Haven’t Discussed Extension For OBJ
The Giants haven’t had any recent talks regarding extensions for key players such as wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., guard Justin Pugh, center Weston Richburg, or linebackers Jonathan Casillas and Devon Kennard, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.
New York reportedly isn’t prioritizing a new deal for Beckham, and that’s likely because the star wideout is under team control for at least more seasons. Thanks to the fifth-year option, the Giants have Beckham signed through 2018 at a cost south of $11MM. In 2019, Big Blue could opt to utilize the franchise tag to retain Beckham for one more year, although that tender would come with a price tag exceeding $18MM. Beckham recently indicated his desire to become the NFL’s highest-paid player, but that’s not a realistic goal in today’s quarterback-driven league.
Pugh and Richburg, however, are entering the final years of their respective rookie contracts, which makes their situations all the more pressing. The franchise tag isn’t a practical option, as the offensive line tender’s price is enhanced by tackles, meaning it’s unsuitable for interior lineman. As James Kratch of NJ.com reported last month, the Giants aren’t expected to reach an extension with Pugh, who seems intent on hitting the open market. A new pact for Pugh would need to include at least $25MM in guarantees for Pugh to take the offer “seriously,” per Raanan.
At linebacker, Kennard isn’t a full-time player, as he saw action on roughly 40% of the Giants’ snaps. As a ‘backer who comes off the field on third downs, Kennard isn’t on track for a hefty pact. Casillas is an every-down player, but he’s entering his age-30 campaign and didn’t earn positive grades from Pro Football Focus a year ago. Still, he’s a stabilizing force on New York’s defense, and Rannan suggests there are reasons for Big Blue to “extend its relationship” with Casillas.
NFC Notes: OBJ, Elliott, Seahawks, Bears
We learned earlier this week that the Giants weren’t prioritizing a contract extension with star wideout Odell Beckham Jr., and that could be because the Pro Bowler is seeking a record-breaking deal. The 24-year-old said on Thursday that he was aiming to become the league’s highest-paid receiver, and he elaborated on those remarks on Friday.
“That’s what you want to do, you want to change the game,’’ Beckham told Paul Schwartz of The New York Post. “This is not just for Odell Beckham, this is for everybody in the league, people who deserve it.
“You sit there and you watch the NBA, it’s crazy. Being realistic, it’s crazy what they’re getting. And there’s people in the NFL who deserve that, I want to do, if I can, be on the forefront for it and help push the league, the game that way, because I feel like the fans deserve it, I feel like we go through a lot, we put ourselves through a lot. They just deserve it. It’s not for me.’’
As our own Connor Byrne noted earlier this week, the top-paid honor usually belongs to quarterbacks, with Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr currently holding the distinction. Steelers wideout Antonio Brown‘s $17MM annual salary is the highest value at his position. Beckham is set to play the upcoming season on a $1.8MM salary, although the organization did pick up his $8.5MM fifth-year option for 2018.
Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFC…
- Although Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said an NFL decision on running back Ezekiel Elliott could be handed down “imminently,” no announcement is expected today nor this weekend, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The league is reportedly wrapping up its investigation into domestic violence allegations against Elliott, and while Jones claimed his own review of the evidence indicated Elliott had done nothing wrong, a short suspension is still expected. If Elliott is banned, Dallas will turn to a cadre of Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris, and the newly-signed Ronnie Hillman in the backfield.
- Former offensive lineman Lemuel Jeanpierre will be joining the Seahawks coaching staff as an offensive assistant, according to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com. The 2011 undrafted free agent out of South Carolina spent six seasons in Seattle, appearing in 63 games (11 starts). The 30-year-old also appeared in nine postseason games, and he earned a ring after the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII.
- The Bears have promoted former Pro Scouting Direction Champ Kelly to Assistant Director of Player Personnel, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). According to the reporter, the Dolphins tried to “lure away” Kelly this past offseason, but Chicago clearly had bigger plans for the executive. The former United Indoor Football general manager has been with the Bears organization since 2015, and he previously spent time as the Broncos’ Assistant Director of Pro Personnel.
- Biggs passes along (on Twitter) that the Bears have also promoted several other members of their scouting team. Chris White is now one of the team’s pro scouts, while Scott Hamel and Brendan Rehor have been promoted to area scout and combine scout, respectively.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
NFC East Notes: OBJ, Cowboys, Redskins
The Giants aren’t prioritizing a new contract for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who’s under control at eminently affordable prices through next season. If they do attempt to lock up Beckham down the line, it doesn’t seem that it’s going to be an easy negotiation. Beckham told uninterrupted.com on Thursday that he’s aiming to eventually become the NFL’s highest-paid player (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). “It’s like the elephant in the room and you don’t want to talk about it,’’ said Beckham. “I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I’m like, there’s no need to not talk about it. I believe that I will be, hopefully not just the highest-paid receiver in the league, but the highest paid, period.”
As great as Beckham has been during his three-year career, the top-paid honor tends to belong to a quarterback. That’s the case right now, with the Raiders’ Derek Carr‘s just-signed deal (five years, $125MM-plus) atop the heap on an annual basis. The Steelers’ Antonio Brown leads all receivers in yearly pay ($17MM per on a four-year, $68MM accord), but he lags far behind Carr. And it might be awhile before the 24-year-old Beckham is even able to challenge Brown and the league’s other richest wideouts, given that the Giants will have the option of placing the franchise tag on him for tolerable costs in both 2019 and ’20 if he’s unsigned. In the meantime, Beckham’s set to play this year for $1.8MM – a pittance relative to his production – and the Giants picked up his $8.5MM fifth-year option for 2018.
More on New York and two of its NFC East rivals:
- The Cowboys’ signing of running back Ronnie Hillman on Thursday has nothing to do with a potential suspension for Ezekiel Elliott, reports David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. Rather, the Cowboys added Hillman as both a possible Lance Dunbar replacement and someone capable of accruing touches during the summer and taking some of the stress off the team’s other backs in the coming weeks. As for Elliott, who was bracing for a suspension two weeks ago, the NFL probably won’t announce his fate until later in the preseason, per Moore.
- Redskins outside linebacker Trent Murphy underwent offseason surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot, according to JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Murphy is now healed, but he still won’t factor into the Redskins’ early season plans as a result of the four-game performance-enhancing drugs suspension the NFL handed him in April. When he returns in Week 6 (the Redskins have a Week 5 bye), the nine-sack man from 2016 will look to continue that strong production in a contract year.
- Giants coach Ben McAdoo told reporters on Thursday that defensive end Owa Odighizuwa has reported to camp (Twitter link via Schwartz). Odighizuwa stayed away from the Giants during the offseason on account of personal issues.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Giants Not Prioritizing Odell Beckham Deal
Amid questions over whether the Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. would stage a holdout this summer, co-owner John Mara said earlier this month that he wants the wide receiver to spend his entire career with Big Blue. Beckham went on to downplay concerns over his current situation – he could play the next two seasons for a relative pittance – and Mara addressed the three-time Pro Bowler’s status again Thursday (via Neil Best of Newsday).
On whether the Giants will hand Beckham an extension this summer, Mara told Mike Francesa of WFAN: “There’s always a chance, but it’s not our No. 1 priority right now. But we do want to get it done. We have some time to get it done. But I can’t give you a timetable on that.”
Mara also explained why he wants Beckham to be a lifelong Giant, saying: “Well, he’s one of the best players in the league, and he makes us a different team when he’s on the field. He puts a lump in the throat of the opposing defense. He’s only 24 years old. And I think he can help us win a championship.”
Having amassed eye-popping numbers (235 receptions and 35 touchdowns) so far in his career, the three-year veteran could be on his way to eventually signing a record-setting contract for a receiver. But the Giants don’t have much financial incentive to lock up Beckham now, as the 2014 first-round pick from LSU is due a paltry $1.8MM this season and will be controllable in 2018 via his fifth-year option for a reasonable $8.5MM. Beckham’s situation becomes cloudier thereafter, but it seems likely the Giants will franchise tag him for an affordable $18MM-plus in 2019 if he remains a star and the two sides don’t have a long-term deal in place by then. The relationship between them is seemingly on solid ground, though, with Mara revealing that he sat down with Beckham for “a very pleasant meeting” in May.
“He’s a smart young man and he wants to be the best,” Mara said of Beckham. “He wants to win a Super Bowl. I wish we had a dozen more like him.”
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, OBJ, Redskins
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
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.
[RELATED: Giants To Keep D.J. Fluker At Guard]
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
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.