A former NFL agent believes Giants WR Odell Beckham "would probably be better off" signing a three-year extension with the team in order to maximize his chances of making even more money once he is a 28-year-old free agent.
Joel Corry, who is an NFL business analyst for CBS Sports, sees that three-year extension being worth $55 million, with $40 million guaranteed.
"If his first three years are any indication of what he's going to be down the road, he'd reap the benefit of the market changing,'' said Corry, who represented NFL players, per the New York Post. "Julio Jones did the five-year extension, and he's unhappy with his deal right now. Maybe Beckham should look at the Julio Jones situation and not do the conventional five-year deal. Be able to get another bite of the apple when he's truly hitting his prime.''
Beckham told SNY last month that he would not hold out from training camp, but SNY's Ralph Vacchiano reported just days later that Beckham had not ruled out the possiblity of holding out. If he chooses to hold out, Corry warned that Giants GM Dave Gettleman is "a guy that will play hardball."
"Nobody for the most part rescinds a franchise tag like he did with Josh Norman," Corry said. "You got to know your audience. He holds out and all bets are off because this is not a team which has reacted well when a player tries to stick a gun to their head."
In addition to the possible three-year deal, Corry also examined how Beckham's contract could look if he decides to go with a longer-term deal.
"Considering it's still the norm to extend four, five years, six years out, I'm gonna say five-year extension, so that's adding five more years," he said. "Let's put the new money at about $95 million over the five years, that's $19 million a year. Put the overall guarantees at around $60 million and anywhere between $40 million and $45 million fully guaranteed at signing.''
Last off-season, Beckham said in an Uninterrupted video that he believed he would become the highest-paid player in the NFL. Corry does not see that happening, no matter how much value Beckham brings to his team.
"He's had unrealistic expectations, I guess because someone, probably his agent, hadn't clued him in to the NFL salary structure," Corry said. "It was absurd when he said he should be the highest-paid player in the league. That's never going to happen.
Due to a season-ending ankle injury, Beckham was limited to just 25 catches for 302 yards and three touchdowns in his 2017 campaign with the Giants. The 25-year-old has caught 38 touchdown passes in his four seasons in the NFL.