Beckham says his relationship with Giants strong, moving forward
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said Saturday that he is optimistic that he and the New York Giants will work out a new contract.
In his first news conference since early last fall, Beckham said his ankle is healed and his contract situation is positive. Beckham and the Giants hope to have a contract agreement before the season opens.
"Optimistic? Yeah. I'm optimistic," he said. "I'm confident it will all work itself out. It always does."
Beckham, 25, has said in the past that he wants to be the NFL's highest-paid player, but he's not going to reach quarterback money. So he's going to have to settle for top wide-receiver pay. Antonio Brown's contract with Pittsburgh pays him an average of $17 million per year, while Tampa Bay has guaranteed Mike Evans $55 million.
The Giants have been pleased that Beckham arrived in training camp on time and took part in offseason training. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams and defensive end Khalil Mack of Oakland both are holding out in lieu of multimillion-dollar contracts.
Beckham acknowleged Saturday that he is risking injury. He broke his ankle and needed surgery in Week 5 last season.
"Calculated. Calculated," he said of his decision. "You control your body. We're practicing. These are your teammates and we're all working together. There is no extra pushing and shoving and doing too much. So it's all calculated. And again, I remember not being able to walk at all. To be able to be on the field doing what I love it is truly an amazing feeling."
After an up-and-down relationship with the team, Beckham said he and new coach Pat Shurmur are off to a good start. He also said he has a new attitude.
"I'm going to do this right," he said. " I'm going to do the very best that I can. Whatever it is that I was doing just change my mindset. It helped me out a lot with everything."
He said he is looking forward to the season with teammates old and new -- running back Saquon Barkley, for one -- as well as that new contract.
"I just want to make it fun again," Beckham said. "I just want to play football the way I used to play football and play with that love and that passion and do some great things. I know coach has it lined up for us."
--Field Level Media
