Luckily for the Giants, Todd Gurley holds no negotiating power over the fate of Odell Beckham Jr.
If he did, the Rams might well have shipped over those two first-round picks Giants brass reportedly placed on Beckham's head last week and made their star running back a very happy man, along with all those breathless radio callers who can't wait to rid themselves of a perceived problem.
But that hasn't happened. At least not yet. And now that March has turned the corner into the draft month of April, it's time to inject a dose of common sense into the Beckham situation.
That is to say, everybody needs to settle down, understand that Beckham is not locker-room destroyer Terrell Owens incarnate and that he's far more valuable to the Giants' current and future offense than many think.
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Take the personality first. Aside from announcing a strong desire to get paid -- a trait not uncommon among elite players, by the way -- and some runaway on-field emotions, Beckham really hasn't created a lot of locker-room drama. There was that stupid cruise he and some teammates enjoyed the week before the 2016 playoff loss to the Packers, but his teammates hardly got on him for that. And really, that was more a case of bad optics than destructive behavior.
There are those antics during games -- the fights, the gross touchdown celebration, the marriage proposal to a kicking net -- that did create some backlash from teammates, coaches and ownership. But, again, none of it breached the line between annoyance and destruction of team.
He's a pain in the butt, no question. But he is not the cancer so many outsiders believe.
Now to the value. Whether it's Eli Manning, Davis Webb or a rookie throwing the ball, Beckham makes them that much better. For proof, look at Manning's performance after Beckham's ankle broke in Week 5 against the Chargers. That offense struggled to begin with. But without Beckham, moving the ball became all but a hopeless exercise.
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Suppose the Giants do pluck a Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen with the No. 2 draft pick. Depriving them a year or two from now of their greatest target would do them a huge disservice, not to mention what it would do to Manning this year.
General manager Dave Gettleman just wouldn't be smart to get rid of one of the few wide receivers in the league who can turn a 15-yard throw into an 85-yard touchdown with one twist of the hips, even for a couple of first-round picks.
The thing about draft picks in any round is they have just as much a chance at flopping as succeeding. Heaven forbid the Giants miss on those two firsts while Beckham goes on to a Hall of Fame career in Los Angeles or elsewhere, that trade would be universally mocked for years.
And the loudest cries would come from the the current Beckham haters.
There is the matter of money. Beckham's intimations that he'll sit out the year unless the Giants pony up a big-money extension is concerning. But he is due $8.5 million for the final year of his rookie contract. They have him under control, which means they have options.
They'll eventually have to pay him. But for now, they'd be wise to give him a modest one-year extension to see if new coach Pat Shurmur can talk some sense into the kid's head. If that doesn't do it, then let him sit until he realizes how much money he's missing out on.
He'll be back. Beckham is nothing without football. Then hang a franchise tag on him next year, just to show him who's boss.
However they choose to handle Beckham, the one thing the Giants can't afford is to watch him score touchdowns for someone else. It's part of the reason Mara priced Beckham at a pair of ones.
He doesn't want to part with him.
Neither should anyone else.
He's a transcendant talent. He may be a jerk, a growing one at that. But he's not a criminal. And he hasn't destroyed the locker room.
This is not the time to trade him for a couple of crapshoots.
So everybody, just settle down.
Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino
