John Mara, Dave Gettleman to discuss Odell Beckham’s future with Giants
Odell Beckham Jr. #13 of the Giants looks on from the bench during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Credit: Jim McIsaac
It was four months ago that John Mara was talking about a long-term contract for Odell Beckham Jr. as a done deal. It wasn’t a matter of if it would get done, but when.
Now, after he spent most of the year on injured reserve, there is a new general manager in the building, and there will soon be a head coach, Mara is less certain that the star wide receiver will finish his career with the Giants.
“I still want him to be a part of this team in the future but I think I have to sit with Dave [Gettleman] and the new head coach and figure out exactly what is going to happen with him,” Mara, the Giants’ co-owner, said on Friday. “Let’s face it, players of his ability don’t come along very often, so yes, I want him to be a part of this team’s future. As to when we actually do the contract, I think that’s for discussion.”
Gettleman, who said he has never met with Beckham, said he would discuss his future when they sat down together at some point.
“It makes a lot of sense,” Gettleman said when asked if Beckham will be part of the solution for the Giants. “Ernie (Accorsi) told me something a long time ago. ‘Don’t quit on talent.’”
Beckham is heading into the final season of his contract and there is strong speculation that he will not show up for without a new deal.
“Who doesn’t want a lot of money?” Gettleman said. “Everybody wants a lot of money… Obviously he’s an extremely talented kid and makes stuff happen. We’ll get to know each other and we’ll go from there. We’ll see.”
Gettleman said he did not want to speak about Beckham’s off-the-field issues without having more knowledge about him and them, but he did veer off into a slight tangent while speaking about Beckham that may point to how he is perceived.
“There are two kinds of players in this league: There are guys who play professional football and there are professional football players,” Gettleman said. “The professional football players are the guys you want. I don’t want guys who want to win. I want guys who hate to lose. That’s the professional football player. That’s what I want.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
