After a miserable end to the 2016 season and the brouhaha about his desire to be the NFL’s highest-paid player, Odell Beckham Jr. is having a great time at training camp with the New York Giants.
The 24-year-old wide receiver, social rock star and fan favorite is putting on a show every time he steps on the field.
His smile is as bright as his gold cleats and his mood reflects that. Walking in the team’s indoor field house after practice Monday, Beckham leap-frogged a stunned reporter, jumped over an upside-down garbage can and then turned to safety Landon Collins and quipped ‘that something was you,’ referring to the can.
Entering his fourth season, Beckham said he is very comfortable in coach Ben McAdoo’s offense.
“Personally, the way that I feel mentally, physically, spiritually right now, I am just in a better place,” Beckham said. “I’m in a real good place. Things are flowing; just continually pushing them in the right direction.”
The three-time Pro Bowler credits the change to life, getting older and growing after some unfortunate incidents.
It’s certainly a lot better than the end of last season.
The Giants were blown out by the Packers 31-13 in Green Bay in the opening round of the playoffs and Beckham had a miserable game, catching four of 11 passes thrown his way and dropping an early touchdown pass. After the game, he allegedly punched a hole in a wall outside the Giants’ locker room. It capped a week in which he was criticized for making an ill-advised trip to Florida on an off-day leading up to the wild-card game to go out on a party boat with some fellow receivers.
Beckham said the pain after last season, which included a stern request from general manager Jerry Reese that he start growing up, got him moving in the right direction.
Veteran receiver Brandon Marshall, who signed with the Giants in the offseason, called Beckham the best player in the NFL.
Giants chief executive John Mara insisted that Beckham will get a new contract that will pay him plenty.
“He’s going to get a lot of attention on and off the field,” Marshall said. “As a teammate, you have to be there to support him. You have to be able to deal with that as well because he’s not even a superstar, he’s a rock star. It’s something that our NFL has never seen before. This guy’s a global icon at the age of what, 24 or 25?”
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