ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Giants coach Pat Shurmur says he expects Odell Beckham Jr. to attend offseason workouts when they start in April.
Trade rumors are surrounding the controversial star receiver and there has been strong speculation Beckham will hold out during training camp because he doesn’t want to play the fifth and final year of his rookie deal without a new contract.
“All reports are he will be ready to go as we get going,” Shurmur said Tuesday morning at the NFL meetings. “There are steps he has to take. All indications are he will be back healthy by the time we start playing in September.”
Beckham is recovering from a broken left ankle that forced him to miss the last 12 games in 2017. Giants owner John Mara on Sunday expressed his disappointment in Beckham, saying no player is untouchable.
“That’s another way of saying we’re going to try to do everything we can to make our team better,” Shurmur said. “I understand that. It’s sort of refreshing to know that we’re going to look under any rock and turn over every stone that we can to make sure we make the New York football Giants the best team we can make it.”
Beckham recently was seen in a video in bed with a woman and what appeared to be white powder, though the timing of the video and its content is uncertain. Mara said Beckham uses “bad judgment” too often.
“I think it’s important that you get all the information,” Shurmur said. “Who knows how that video appeared? We all understand that there are certain ways we need to act and certain things we don’t want to be doing.”
Shurmur met with Beckham in Los Angeles earlier in the offseason when he went to California to visit college prospects.
“He’s a very charismatic guy. I think he really cares. I’m looking forward to working with him,” Shurmur said. “It’s important as coaches and players and anybody who is working together to visit and get a chance to know one another. I really don’t think you can know somebody by seeing reports, reading reports, hearing what people think and say. I think it’s important, especially in the player-coach relationship, to get to know him.”
Beckham was the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year and has been New York’s best offensive weapon when healthy. In his first three seasons, he had 288 receptions for 4,122 yards and 35 touchdowns. But he’s known as much for his highlight-reel catches as incidents that are distractions.
“We always want weapons,” Shurmur said. “He’s been an outstanding player, especially his first three years. We want really, really good players. We want guys who are passionate about playing the game. We want guys that understand the importance of relationships, which means they want to be coached. And we want guys that understand what it is to be a good teammate.”
___
For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
