EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Brink's truck is loaded, and the GPS is set to Odell Beckham Jr.'s primary address in Hollywood. It's a long trek, and one that might not be made for quite some time.
Maybe it will be before the start of this season. Or maybe it will have to wait until next year. It's only a matter of time before a player with Beckham's transcendent talent and ability gets paid by the team that chose him 12th overall in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft: the New York Giants.
He's their best player and biggest star, and he happens to be sitting out OTAs and part of the offseason program, in part because of his contract. It raises questions about when he will be paid, and how much.
The Giants aren't ready to sit down and discuss numbers just yet, partly because they still have Beckham under contract for two more seasons, with the potential for an additional two years on top of that with the franchise tag. Why make such a massive financial commitment now when they have him under their control for another two to four years?
For one, the price is likely only to head north as he inches closer to free agency. Every year means millions more destined for the Beckham vault, already flush with fresh Nike money.
Beckham is at the point in his career where he is ready to bank. He's entering his fourth professional season. This is the first offseason he's eligible under the collective bargaining agreement to be extended. After three Pro Bowl seasons in three years, all indications are that he would like negotiations to have begun yesterday.
When they do, it will be for a deal that league sources involved in negotiations, although not specifically with Beckham, insist will be "huge" and "massive." They agree it should be record-setting for a wide receiver.
One source is confident that when the deal is made, it will dwarf what Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown received earlier this offseason. Think in excess of $100 million and more than $20 million per season, and possibly even bigger than the $113 million total package negotiated by former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson in 2012.
Brown netted an extension worth four years and $68 million, with $19 million guaranteed earlier this offseason. All four sources believe that Beckham's new deal should top the $17 million average per year (APY) Brown received in his third contract with the Steelers.
Beckham, 24, is still playing on his rookie deal. He will make $1.8 million in 2017, a number significantly below his market value or production level. He will make somewhere in the $8 million range if he plays under his fifth-year option next season.
One source predicted Beckham's deal will approach a net value of $17.5 million per season, with somewhere in the range of $55 million guaranteed total.
This is because of what Beckham brings as a player. None of the sources seem to think Beckham's dollar value will be inflated much, if at all, by his popularity and/or marketability. Among NFL players, he was the only non-quarterback on ESPN's fame list.
But the sources believe that's negligible when it comes to contract negotiations, in part because of the salary cap. What's more likely a significant factor is when he signs.
Beckham is part of a wide receiving quartet that includes his best friend, Jarvis Landry, of the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay's Mike Evans and Houston's DeAndre Hopkins. All appear destined for impending new deals with their respective teams. None may be at Beckham's level on the field, but the more the market sets -- and likely with big numbers -- the more the last one to sign will pocket, one source predicted.
Of the four top receivers signed in the 2015 offseason (Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, A.J. Green and Julio Jones), Green was the last to sign. He received the largest APY at $15 million.
But the longer the Giants wait, the more upset and detached Beckham could become, which could sidetrack their chances at making a run this season or next. This is the player's best leverage. Beckham has the clout and on-field value where he can nudge the Giants into negotiations by voicing his discontent. This may be what he's doing right now by staying away from OTAs.
It could force the Giants to react. Quarterback Eli Manning, 36, is on the back nine of his career, and he needs Beckham performing at an optimal level -- without distraction -- if they are to make another Super Bowl run.
"If you're the Giants ... I would make Odell happy," former Giants quarterback and current CBS analyst Phil Simms said Wednesday on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio channel.
They will. It's only a matter of when at this point, but it's clear the topic at least needs to be broached. It's on you, Jerry Reese. And the Giants general manager had better move quickly, before it becomes a real problem.
Right now, it's just a talking point. It's just a rumbling. As the truck continues to idle with the money loaded, the noise will only become louder.