Giants expect Odell Beckham Jr., Olivier Vernon to attend minicamp

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants are expecting wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and defensive end Olivier Vernon at minicamp next week, according to coach Ben McAdoo.

Beckham and Vernon elected to skip the entirety of voluntary OTAs the past three weeks. Beckham's absence has to some degree beentied to his contract, sources recently told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Beckham is set to earn $1.8 million this season in the fourth year of his rookie deal.

"Sure, I expect everyone to be here," McAdoo said of next week's mandatory minicamp. "I'm not spending time talking about attendance. It's minicamp. We're looking forward to everyone being here next week."

But McAdoo wouldn't say specifically if he had heard from Beckham or Vernon that they plan on showing. Beckham told the NFL Network several weeks back that he planned to attend, and by all indications he will be at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Tuesday for the first of the three days.

Beckham was in town Thursday for a promotional appearance at a Verizon store in Manhattan. He still did not participate in Friday's OTA.

Vernon, who said earlier this week that he'll be at minicamp, was at a charity event Tuesday night in Manhattan. He did not attend any OTAs either.

This was well within their rights. This part of the offseason program is voluntary. Players can skip OTAs if they so desire, and many of them have this spring.

Beckham and Vernon weren't the only Giants who weren't at OTAs on Friday. Offensive linemen Justin Pugh and Bobby Hart and defensive end Owa Odighizuwa also did not practice.

Next week's mandatory minicamp is different. Players receive fines if they're not in attendance.

Odighizuwa may be the biggest wild card. He was dealing with some personal problems earlier this offseason and even went on social media to say he was going to take a break from football. The third-year player was back for the start of the offseason workout program but hasn't been at OTAs in recent weeks.

McAdoo didn't want to get into details.

"Again, I'm not going to talk about things," he said.

When asked if they talked, he elected to keep their "personal conversations personal."

The difference between OTAs and minicamp is negligible in terms of what's accomplished. McAdoo said minicamp is "really just an extension of the offseason program." They will be on the field slightly longer Wednesday than they have been during OTAs.

It just so happens that minicamp is mandatory, as per the collective bargaining agreement negotiated between the players and the teams in 2011.