It’s December 3. Week 13 has begun. Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t played since February. He has visited one team. It’s unclear when he’ll sign.
It’s even less clear when he’ll play. And once he does play, how long until he makes a contribution?
We made the point earlier this week, in response to comments from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones regarding the importance of Beckham making an impact in 2022. It’s unreasonable to expect him to do so; any positive contributions he makes in 2022 should be regarded as a bonus.
I’m reiterating the point because, at some point, Beckham may need to just pull the plug on trying to play in 2022 and focus on 2023. It seems as if he’s using the vague promise of being a major difference-maker over the balance of the season as a way to maximize his overall contractual haul. And that’s fine. It’s smart. He’s pitting two bitter rivals against each other, in the Giants and the Cowboys.
Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets a belief that Beckham wants to sign with the Giants, citing the “lure of coming to NY, making it a home for his family and winning in this city,” along with “unfinished business.” But the question is whether the Giants, who drafted Beckham in 2014 and gave him a major second contract in 2018, will pay Beckham what he wants.