All that trade speculation regarding Odell Beckham Jr. was not lost on his quarterback, but Eli Manning has been around long enough to know chatter in the offseason often amounts to little, or nothing, when things get real.
“I think over the years you just can’t get caught up with what’s being said on TV or in the news or what people assume is happening,’’ Manning said Monday as the Giants gathered for the first day of their offseason workout program. “I never got too concerned with it. We all know the talent Odell has and what he brings to the football field. Look forward to playing with him this year and for years to come.’’
Manning got the chance to check in directly with Beckham, who was an on-time arrival on Day 1, unlike a year ago, when he opted to remain in Los Angeles for most of the springtime work as his teammates filled the Giants’ facility. Although new head coach Pat Shurmur said “I’m not overthinking this’’ in terms of attaching all sorts of meaning to Beckham’s attendance, he clearly was heartened to see the star receiver in the building.
“I think it’s important that Odell is here and I’m looking forward to him getting one day better by being here,’’ Shurmur said. “I’m looking forward to him inspiring some of his teammates to get better, because he’s here and he’s a terrific player. I think we can all learn from one another. Quite frankly, I’m looking forward to the players challenging me to grow.’’
Just as the significance of Beckham’s presence can be overplayed, it also can be underplayed, as always with what is said and mused about all things Odell, balance and perspective is often lacking. Beckham last year did not take part in the Giants’ offseason program. This time around, there is a new coach and coaching staff, a new general manager and a new injury, as Beckham is coming off October surgery to repair a fractured left ankle.
Shurmur said he “communicated’’ with Beckham after the NFL owners’ meetings two weeks ago in Orlando, when a swirl of fiction and non-fiction circulated about Beckham, the video of him in a Paris hotel with a French model (and substances that looked like drugs), the Giants’ irritation with the video as the latest Beckham distraction and the Giants fielding trade offers for him.
Asked if he specifically questioned Beckham if there were drugs in the hotel room, Shurmur said, “That’s private between Odell and myself but we talked about the video.’’
Beckham and Manning did not talk about the video.
“No, I didn’t talk to him about that,’’ Manning said. “I don’t get caught up in offseason or videos and this and that. I think whatever, that’s just kind of the world today, sometimes things come up, he’s got to deal with that, but I think he’ll handle that well and put his focus on playing football at a high level.’’
As for the trade talk affecting Beckham, Shurmur said, “I’m not worried about it. I really believe that Odell is a professional, he wants to be great and he understands the importance of the offseason. He’s a competitive guy. He’s a professional and I’m glad he’s here.’’
Manning has two years remaining on his contract and Beckham is entering the fifth and final year of his deal, set to get paid $8.45 million for the 2017 season. Beckham is seeking a long-term commitment to make him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL. How long he stays in town, and how much he participates in the later stages of the program, remains to be seen.
“I’ll talk to him and give him my two cents on it but he’s got to do what he feels is best for him to get ready and play at a high level,’’ Manning said.
Manning last week assembled several teammates — Sterling Shepard, Brandon Marshall, Evan Engram, Roger Lewis, Rhett Ellison and Wayne Gallman — for the annual throwing and catching session he holds at Duke University. Beckham is coming off surgery and would not have been able to run routes. Thus, he was not at the session, an absence Manning understood.
“I talked to Odell and it was just a matter of what he’s doing in his rehab to get back healthy,’’ Manning said. “It wasn’t gonna make sense for him to make that trip if he can’t do all the routes and do everything. We’re on the same page, talked about it, it just didn’t make sense.’’
