WHERE IS ODELL’S HEAD?...

WHERE IS ODELL’S HEAD?
[www.nydailynews.com]

A major unanswered question at this stage of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade talks is whether OBJ’s relationship with the Giants has been permanently damaged by their willingness to discuss the possibility of trading him with other clubs.

Beckham, 25, has not spoken publicly in a while, but there have been obvious clues where this is headed: from last week’s NFL Network report that he won’t step on a football field for any team without a new contract extension, to the Daily News’ report Wednesday that Beckham had told two Rams players he wanted in with L.A.

Since the Daily News broke the news Tuesday that the Rams and Giants had discussed a Beckham trade, it has become obvious to GMs around the league — and presumably to Beckham, too — that the Giants aren’t just uncertain about what to do with Beckham; they’re actively considering trading him. (These are not Beckham trade ‘rumors,’ as I keep reading all over the place. It is a fact: the Giants have been in talks to possibly trade him).

I still think the Rams are the leading contender, despite not owning a high first-round pick (23rd overall), because I don’t think any team is going to trade for Beckham unless it’s 100% sure he’ll sign long-term there for a price both the team and OBJ are comfortable with. I do wonder if the 49ers, though, could convince Beckham to get excited about Santa Clara with young QB Jimmy Garoppolo. They hold the ninth overall pick, too.

GM John Lynch told me just as the Beckham talks were heating up in Orlando that — without any specific comment on the OBJ news, which he was just hearing — that he’s certainly always willing to make a trade that makes his team better. And with the Rams and 49ers seemingly rising to contend as fierce rivals in the NFC West for years to come, there is added incentive for Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan to beat the Rams’ Les Snead and coach Sean McVay to the punch if Beckham is dealt (although Snead already has made a trade with Gettleman as the Giants’ GM).

Back to my original premise, though: where is Beckham’s head in all this? How will he react? Will he still show up April 9 for the start of Giants offseason workouts? Does he still want to be a Giant? Will negotiations on an extension with the Giants proceed meaningfully past the early, preliminary stages, where co-owner Steve Tisch amazingly said they remained last Tuesday? As the team resumes business coming out of Easter weekend, it’s worth wondering whether Beckham’s relationship with the Giants has been irreparably damaged and recognizing that could increase the likelihood of a trade over keeping OBJ here in New York.

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Best,
Laram