The drama surrounding the New York Giants and their Pro Bowl receiver, Odell Beckham Jr., continues to unfold. Beckham has already threatened to not step foot on the field without a new and expensive contract in place – one that would make him the highest paid receiver in the NFL.
"Odell Beckham is not going to set foot on the field without a new contract agreed to, whether the Giants or whether anyone else," Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on March 26.
The Giants have said that they are not shopping Beckham. However, a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN states that New York is not only looking for a first-round pick in exchange for the receiver, but they are looking for two first-round picks. If the Giants cannot come to some sort of agreement with Beckham, chatter around the NFL owners' meetings this week had them possibly looking to deal him to another team.
The longer the situation drags out, the less the Giants might be willing to take to offload Beckham and the drama he is bringing to the start of head coach Pat Shurmur's tenure.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that the San Francisco 49ers have "real interest" in Beckham. Of course, there is a big difference in "real interest" and pulling the trigger on a deal. It is unknown what value the 49ers, who own the ninth-overall pick in next month's draft, place on Beckham.
La Canfora wrote the following about the 49ers while examining potential landing spots for Beckham:
"Very much in the same proactive mode as the Rams, trying to build a top offense around a young play-calling head coach. I continue to hear San Francisco is monitoring this thing closely, has real interest, and this could shape up as a very interested NFC West arms race."
Beckham is coming off of a season-ending fractured left ankle, which was sustained last year during a Week 5 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. He finished 2017 with 25 receptions for 302 yards and three touchdowns. During his four-year career with the Giants, Beckham registered 313 receptions for 4,424 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Beckham is currently signed through the 2018 season with a salary cap figure of $8.46 million. The Giants can also utilize the franchise tag to keep him in New York through 2019 and possibly beyond.
The 49ers didn't address the wide receiver position in free agency, opting to pass on some high-priced options to focus on the draft.
"What you don't want to do is have a bunch of guys who are OK but are paid like the best," head coach Kyle Shanahan said via NBC Sports Bay Area. "That's where you get in trouble and have to stay away from in free agency. It's usually why the draft is the best way to go ... I would love to win now and you do everything you can to win now, but you never do it at the expense of the future."
While Shanahan had Julio Jones as a weapon in Atlanta, he doesn't necessarily believe a team needs that type of player to be successful.
"You definitely don't need that," Shanahan said. "If you ever have it, then keep it. It's very fun to have and it'll help you a ton. But that's not something you need.
"You need guys who can beat man-to-man coverage. You need guys who are explosive enough to scare the secondary so it can open up your play-action game. And you need guys who can separate on third down. That doesn't have to be a receiver. You'd like it to be all five of your eligibles -- three receivers, your tight end and your running back."
