Apparently the Rams don’t think that Los Angeles has quite enough stars in it. The team reportedly agreed to terms with free agent defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh on Monday, amid rumors that the Rams were looking to acquire an even bigger name: Odell Beckham Jr.
It’s not clear that the Giants are actively trying to trade Beckham, but co-owner John Mara said Sunday at the league meetings in Orlando that, given his team’s 3-13 record last season, “nobody is untouchable.” Mara added that he was “tired of answering questions about Odell’s behavior” after being asked about a video that emerged recently, in which Beckham was shown in bed near a woman who appeared to be holding a credit card by a mound of a white powdery substance.
The Giants also have a major decision to make on Beckham’s future as the wide receiver is entering the final year of his rookie contract and has made no secret of his desire for a huge new contract. Both Mara and co-owner Steve Tisch said at the meetings that they anticipate a deal being worked out in due course, with the latter playing down the impact of the video, but neither denied the possibility that Beckham might be available for the right price.
According to the New York Daily News on Monday, that price is a first-round pick and another asset that wouldn’t necessarily be quite as valuable. The newspaper cited “multiple NFL sources” in reporting that the Rams “already have talked with the Giants about possibly trading for [Beckham].”
New York’s other NFL team was recently linked to Suh, who was released this month by the Dolphins. The Jets had reportedly made the highest bid for the five-time Pro Bowl selection, but acting owner Christopher Johnson said Sunday that his team had “rescinded the offer.”
Instead, Suh is headed to Los Angeles, where he will join reigning defensive player of the year Aaron Donald on what promises to be an imposing defensive front. According to multiple reports, Suh has agreed to a one-year, $14 million deal, giving both sides a chance to decide later on possibly coming to a longer-term arrangement.
Earlier in the offseason, the Rams traded for a pair of highly regarded cornerbacks in Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, although they also let another cornerback go in Trumaine Johnson and traded away linebacker Alec Ogletree and pass rusher Robert Quinn. Ogletree was dealt to the Giants, who then sent defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the Buccaneers, indicating that under new General Manager Dave Gettleman, New York is more than open for business.
That business could, of course, include locking up Beckham on a lucrative deal, but while Mara and Tisch sounded content to let that process play out in a deliberate fashion, Beckham may be agitating for a quicker timeline. “Odell Beckham is not going to set foot on the field without a new contract agreed to, whether the Giants or whether anyone else,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Monday.
Beckham could decide to sit out offseason training activities and even training camp, risking mounting fines in an attempt to force the Giants’ hand either way. The Rams could represent a very attractive destination for the wide receiver, not just because they showed a resurgent offense last season under Coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff but also because Beckham lives in Los Angeles in the offseason and has shown an affinity for the celebrity circuit.
Or could the wide receiver wind up in . . . Cleveland? He would if Jarvis Landry had his way. The Browns wide receiver, recently acquired from the Dolphins, took to Twitter on Monday to encourage his former teammate at LSU to “reunite” with him at his new home.
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