Phil Simms On Odell Beckham: Pay The Man ... Now

Former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms said Wednesday on Sirius XM NFL Radio that the New York Giants should forget protocol with Odell Beckham Jr. and “make Odell happy” by giving him a rich contract extention now.

“If you’re the Giant … I would make Odell happy. 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.”

The “rule” Simms refers to, of course, isn’t really a rule at all. It is the idea that teams very seldom rip up rookie contracts. Simply, they generally make players wait as long as possible before getting a big-money deal.

We learned today that ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes Beckham is skipping OTAs to let the Giants know he would like a new contract. By the way, our poll in that post shows a pretty good divide in the fan base. Be sure to vote before time runs out. The poll closes Thursday morning.

Simms acknowledged to host Adam Schein that paying Beckham now would be a huge decision by the Giants.

“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.”

Unfortunately, you get the idea that this story is just beginning to grow legs. For all the headlines he has already generated you get the feeling that the Odell Beckham Thrill Ride hasn’t come close to reaching full speed just yet.