ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t on the trade market. He isn’t untouchable, either.
New York Giants owner John Mara on Sunday expressed his disappointment in the controversial star receiver.
Speaking at the NFL meetings, Mara said he is not angry with Beckham, who recently was seen in a video in bed with a woman and what appeared to be white powder, though the timing of the video and its content is uncertain.
”It’s too often he allows himself to be put in bad situations and uses bad judgment,” Mara said, adding that the video ”wasn’t helpful. He knows what we expect of him and now it’s up to him.
”We certainly are not shopping him. Coming off 3-13 when we played as poorly as we did, I can’t say anyone is untouchable.”
Beckham missed 12 games last year with a broken left ankle, so he was sidelined for most of New York’s awful season. He’s already made it clear he wants a new contract, and Mara admitted Beckham’s mercurial behavior – which also has brought problems on the field, including a one-game suspension in 2015 – could affect any talks. Beckham is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie deal and there has been strong speculation he will hold out during training camp.
”Contracts get done when they’re supposed to get done. We’ll just have to see what happens,” Mara said.
He added that Beckham playing out the contract is ”a possibility.”
The 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Beckham has been New York’s best offensive weapon when healthy. In his first three seasons, he had 288 receptions for 4,122 yards and 35 touchdowns. His highlight-reel catches have been, well, a highlight of his short career.
But so have incidents such as an on-field feud with then-Panthers cornerback Josh Norman for which Beckham was suspended a game in December 2015 for egregious fouls.
Beckham is scheduled to make almost $8.5 million this season and has said he wants to be the highest-paid receiver in the NFL.
For now, Pittsburgh’s All-Pro wideout Antonio Brown has the highest average yearly salary for the position, $17.5 million – more than double what Beckham makes.
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