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Phil Simms: Giants must make Odell Beckham Jr. happy with new contract

Odell Beckham Jr. is one of many NFL players who has a lot to prove in a contract year

Phil Simms is well acquainted with the way the NFL does business, having been a member of New York Giants throughout his entire 14-year career. He knows teams don’t adhere to the notion that players will decide when it’s time to land new deals — especially when it comes to rookie contracts, which is what Odell Beckham Jr. is still working with.

The Giants especially don’t like to be bullied into anything, which is why Beckham Jr. sitting out OTAs because he wants a new deal (reportedly) likely won’t work. That said, Simms believes it’s time for the Giants to break with tradition and make OBJ a happy camper.

“If you’re the Giant … I would make Odell happy,” Simms said during an interview with Adam Schein of Sirius XM NFL Radio. “I would probably go ahead and break the rule and succumb to it and try to come up with some contract agreement so you can move on. And Odell Beckham Jr. really has a chance to become part of the Giants’, whatever you want to say, greatest players. And to do that he’s got to be a team player and they’ve got to win. And they need to start this year.

“Man, it’s a big rule to break, Adam. I have to waffle a little bit on that, I really do. … He is worth it and, you know, there are so few players in the league that could ever get in this position.”

That Beckham is worth more than what he’s scheduled to make in 2017 is absolutely true. One of the top receivers in the entire NFL, he’s only set to bring in $1.8 million as a base salary, with another $1.47 million for his signing bonus.

Meanwhile, he’s seeing Antonio Brown haul in $17 million per year on a new contract this offseason. No doubt he’d like a piece of the pie that’s around the same size.

The Giants don’t have a ton of cap space, however, making this situation a bit more difficult. They still have OBJ under contract for the entire 2017 season and can lock him up another year on his fifth-year option. He doesn’t have as much leverage, perhaps, as he thinks.

This is an interesting story we’ll be following closely this offseason. If he doesn’t show up for mandatory minicamp, then we could have a good, old fashioned holdout in store.

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