Odell Beckham Jr impressed during his workout last week, but there is one team that could be ruled out signing him.
The 2023 league year officially kicks off on Wednesday, March 15th, and official deals and signings are being announced. When it comes to the wide receiver position, the free agent category is far from stacked, but there is one huge option available, and that is Odell Beckham Jr..
The three-time Pro Bowler missed the 2022 season with a torn ACL suffered in Super Bowl 56, but recently impressed a slew of teams at a workout in Arizona last week.
One day in a league year, one team can be eliminated from the Peckham Sweepstakes.
On Thursday, the New York Giants continued to add some passing weapons to quarterback Daniel Jones. After acquiring tight end Darren Waller in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, the Giants signed former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Parris Campbell and retained Darius Slayton.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan tweeted shortly after the Slayton news that this “now cements that the Giants will not be players for Odell Beckham Jr,” stating that he is “out of my price range.”
This now confirms that the Giants will not be players for Odell Beckham Jr. Put that dream to rest. He/she is out of my price range.
– Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) March 16, 2023
Looks like the Giants are out of the Odell Beckham Jr. sweepstakes.
The Giants were linked with Beckham last season, as he visited the team on their short tour. Ultimately, Beckham did not sign with the Giants, or with the Buffalo Bills or Dallas Cowboys, the other teams he visited.
While the idea of a Giants reunion with Beckham sounded sweet, his asking price made it impossible. According to ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio, Beckham is aiming to make $20 million annually in his next contract.
Given that the Giants signed Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract, the franchise signed up a $10.1 million restart Saquon Barkley for the 2023 season, acquired Waller from the Raiders, and needed to use the additional cap space to tackle other positions for the need roster. Beckham seemed elusive.
On Thursday, the Giants signed Campbell to a one-year, $4.7 million contract that could be worth up to $6.7 million. Campbell played in 17 games this past season, recording 63 receptions for 623 yards and three touchdowns on 91 targets.
Hours later, reports indicated that the Giants had re-signed Slayton, who had shone throughout the 2022 season in the new offense under head coach Brian Dabul and coordinator Mike Kafka. Slayton’s deal runs for two years with a base value of $12 million, but could increase his value to a maximum of $16.5 million.
In 16 games played (11 starts), Slayton caught 46 of 71 targets for 724 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Giants made those moves, in addition to keeping Sterling Shepard to a one-year, veteran deal minimum and signing former Jets wide receiver Jeff Wilson to a one-year contract. However, the Giants can still continue to handle the situation. They can continue to target wide receivers in free agency, or they can add during the NFL Draft, perhaps using their first-round pick on one.
It remains to be seen where Beckham ends up playing for the 2023 season and beyond. Looks like the Giants won’t be a destination for Beckham after all.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/diarioas/AHL3XO3WC43BGGAR55DJA6S2EQ.jpg)
