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METUCHEN, N.J. - Odell Beckham Jr. promised he will be in training camp with the Giants this summer and that he won't be a holdout when camp opens on July 25 in an interview with SNY at his youth football camp on Saturday morning.
Those were Beckham's first comments on his plans for the summer and his unresolved contract situation, and the first clue about how much of a hard line he's willing to take. Just before he left the first day of his camp, he was asked by SNY if we'd see him at training camp and he said "Yes sir. Yes you will."
So no holdout, Beckham was asked? "No," he told SNY. "No holdout."
Though the promise was encouraging, the truth about his situation is slightly more fluid. According to a person familiar with Beckham's plans, he is actually planning to report to camp on time at the moment. However, there are still five and a half weeks until players are due to report and the source cautioned that those plans could change if there's no movement in contract talks.
Right now, according to multiple sources, there has been no movement at all in negotiations and no indication at all that a new deal is close. Beckham, who is due about $8.4 million this season, is seeking a contract that would make him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, according to sources. The Giants have publicly indicated a willingness to give him a contract extension eventually, but they've apparently shown no sign of being willing to come close to meeting his financial demands yet.
Beckham did not speak to the media in general during his three and a half hours at the Citi Odell Beckham Jr. Football Procamp, so he did not address the contract situation specifically. He also didn't talk about his health, eight months after ankle surgery, or why he didn't participate in team drills at minicamp last week even though Giants coach Pat Shurmur said the star receiver was "cleared to practice."
Beckham did look pretty healthy during that camp, though, and again on Saturday at St. Joseph High School, where he thrilled more than 500 kids by running through drills with them and making some spectacular, one-handed catches. Beckham seemed to interact with every kid in a camp filled with boys and girls from grades 1 through 8, and he'll back on Sunday for another three hours, too.
After that, the next time Beckham will likely be seen is whenever he reports to Giants training camp. Now, at least, he's on record giving everyone hope that he'll be there on time.