Now that receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. is healthy or extremely close to it, the time is coming for him to pick a team.
He plans to take some more time.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Beckham hopes to sign a contract by the end of the month. Schefter identifies the options as the Cowboys, Bills, Chiefs, Giants and 49ers.
Schefter pegs Beckham’s eventual compensation in the prorated range of $20 million for the balance of the season. That would be roughly $7 million. (Whatever the amount, he probably shouldn’t take it in Bitcoin, this time.)
Multiple reports have indicated Beckham wants a multi-year deal. This complicates negotiations for obvious reasons. Teams will be reluctant to assume significant injury risk, given that he has suffered two ACLs in the same knee.
If Beckham can get multiple teams to pursue him, the terms necessarily will become more favorable. Also, with each passing week, he gets a little more information as to the identity of the true contenders.
There’s also a chance that an injury will spark even greater urgency to sign him.
The only downside is that, with each week he’s not on a team, he’s not getting paid. At his preferred annual rate of $20 million, he loses $1.17 million for each week he waits.