ORLANDO, Fla. — The Giants are not looking to trade Odell Beckham Jr.
On Sunday, Giants co-owner John Mara said his team is not looking to part ways with Beckham. On Monday, Giants co-owner Steve Tisch said everyone needs to “pull back’’ and let contract negotiations with the superstar receiver play out.
How can it be, then, that so much buzz and noise at the NFL owners’ meetings is about some sort of imminent trade involving Beckham? When did Mara’s “We’re certainly not shopping him” become, “We certainly are shopping him” without a reason for the 180-degree pivot?
Well, it never did. The Giants are not looking to trade Beckham, a source told The Post.
As far as interest the Giants garnered from teams at these meetings involving a Beckham trade?
“Zero, nada, zilch,” another source said.
There was an NFL Network report early Monday morning that Beckham will not step foot on the field without a contract extension. That would not be enough for the Giants to suddenly do an about-face and start looking for takers for Beckham.
The Giants have not yet had enough of Beckham, but they do not have infinite patience with all the noise and talk and controversy surrounding their superstar receiver.
“I think there is a fine line between when it’s good for business and when that line is crossed and it can become bad for business,” Tisch, the Giants’ co-owner and a top movie producer, said Monday. “When too much becomes too much I think everybody is aware of it, and I hope we don’t get to that point and cross that line.’’
Has Beckham crossed that line?
“It’s not been too much yet, but I think because there’s so much conversation about him, I just want everyone to pull back and realize that we will negotiate when the time to negotiate comes.”
Concerning Beckham, it is often difficult, if not impossible, for “everyone to pull back.’’ Tisch revealed conversations between general manager Dave Gettleman and Beckham’s representation “are at the earliest, most premature stages.’’
Beckham has said he wants to be the highest-paid receiver in NFL history, which would command a salary in excess of $17 million per year. He is on the books for 2018 for a salary of $8.45 million after the Giants picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
As for a possible Beckham holdout, he has not participated in offseason workouts in a few years, and this report that he will not take the field without a new contract did not specify if that means the spring, training camp, preseason games or regular-season games.
“Yeah, I can read,’’ Dave Gettleman told The Post, when asked about the supposed Beckham warning. “I got nothing to say.’’
Gettleman then added he will actually have something to say Tuesday when he meets with the media.
“Well, my take is at the moment it’s hypothetical,” Tisch said. “We have not been contacted by anyone representing Odell making that comment or suggesting that’s something he will do so my reaction to it is it’s another hypothetical situation in a number of hypothetical situations. Odell’s contract will be negotiated at the appropriate time.’’
An NFL source told The Post any trade for Beckham would have to bring back a first-round pick to the Giants. Yes, Mara did say Beckham is not “untouchable’’ but nothing is in the works, as the Giants want to move forward with Beckham — a more matured Beckham. Dealing Beckham, Mara said, is “not a scenario I would like to see happen.’’
Tisch said, “I would like to have Odell on the Giants this coming season. He’s a tremendous athlete, he’s a great player. So I do hope that Odell is with the Giants for the 2018 season. I would like that very much.’’
Many in the industry believe Beckham would be unwise to show up on his current contract and risk injury. Of course, Beckham is already injured, or, more exactly, was already injured, and is rehabbing a fractured left ankle suffered in Week 5 last season. Beckham needs to make a positive impression on Gettleman and new head coach Pat Shurmur, and staying away or issuing thinly veiled threats is not the way to do it.
Beckham also has to prove to ownership he is trustworthy enough for the franchise to invest in him, and he is off to a rocky start this offseason. Mara, unquestionably wanting to send a message, said Sunday, “I’m tired of answering questions about Odell’s behavior and what the latest incident is. I think he knows what we expect of him and now it’s up to him.’’ This was in response to the latest Beckham bombshell, a video that surfaced recently with a French model in a Paris hotel.
“It wasn’t helpful,’’ Mara said, when asked how the video affects the expectations the Giants have for Beckham.
Tisch was aware of the video, but said he did not watch it.
“That’s sort of background noise,’’ he said. “Something I’m not paying much attention to, I didn’t look at it. Maybe I didn’t have those seven seconds in my life to pay attention to it. I’m not concerned about that.’’
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