What the Giants should do with Odell Beckham Jr.

The Giants have not yet made any intimations that they are trying to unload Beckham. The idea is still being played up in local media that they should get what they can in advance of a impending rebuild. Hey, one might argue, Eli Manning is about to retire. The Giants could go whole hog and rebuild from the ground up. It doesn’t hurt the possibility of a trade that Beckham will be an unrestricted free agent in 2019 if New York can’t agree with him on an extension within the next year.

NFL teams have shown within the last year a willingness to trade like never before. In fact, Beckham’s close friend, Jarvis Landry, was among the many players who have been dealt in the weeks leading up to the start of the new league year. General managers haven’t been shy about moving players who, though immensely talented, are seen as disruptive. Marcus Peters is considered by many to be among the best playmaking cornerbacks in the NFL and is just hitting his prime, and the Chiefs unloaded him for a song.

Then again, it makes little sense to deal Beckham in the immediate wake of a scandal, when his value is taking a further hit beyond the injury that cost him 12 games this past season. What’s more, instead of the Giants costing themselves in a desperation trade, the team should apply that leverage in the contract negotiations with Beckham. Perhaps Beckham is too stubborn to accept any lowball offer and is willing to stick it out until free agency next year. That doesn’t mean the Giants should avoid spending the next several months negotiating anyway.

For all the stern discussions of removing locker room cancers, the Giants have already signaled this offseason that they're willing to stand by difficult players given that the team is retaining Eli Apple, the 2016 first-round pick who had a disastrous second year as a pro that included teammates publicly disparaging him and him being suspended for a game for conduct detrimental to the team. Instead of Apple, it was veteran Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie who was released this week.

If New York is willing to stand by Apple, who had only a pretty encouraging rookie season before slipping up the next year, it stands to reason the team won’t give up on one of the league’s best receivers, coming off an injury or not.

At the very least, the Giants should spend the remainder of the offseason trying to strike a more affordable long-term deal with Beckham. If behavior continues to be a concern, build incentives based around that into the new deal. By and large, the things that Beckham does that create headlines are largely benign. The optics are bad in this case, but until he fails a drug test, it would be difficult for the league to take action against him in a way that won’t lead to an appeal. Should reaching an extension prove impossible during the offseason, the Giants would be better off swinging a trade in-season.

Teams are more amenable to trade deadline deals than they have been in years past, and Beckham could be a huge addition to a roster that’s a big-play receiver away from a championship-caliber offense. A team that jumps out to a hot start and senses that a run at a championship is possible is more likely to part with a high draft pick than a team currently looking to get one over on a desperate Giants team frustrated with its star.

The coming rush of player transactions will quickly push the Beckham story out of the minds of the football world. That is, unless the Giants act rashly and try to unload their best player. New York may not realistically be trying to contend in 2018, but there’s no reason to think a 25-year-old wideout can’t be the top target for years to come for whomever takes the reins after Eli Manning. Beckham may occasionally be a headache and invite moral panic. He’s still among the best receivers in the sport, and the Giants would be well advised not to dump him for far less than he’s worth.