When New York Giants owner John Mara recently said that even superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. wasn’t untouchable, he was trying to sound tough. What he ended up doing was ignite a storm of speculation.

As it turns out, the Giants are not crazy enough to trade their best player, at least according to co-owner John Mara.

Just in case there was any legitimate confusion, Mara decided to clear it up, via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY:

“He’s not on the block. Is that going to stop clubs from possibly calling us? No. But he’s not on the block. We’re not shopping him around.”

To clarify his position further, he added:

“Do I want him to be traded? Absolutely not. I want him to be a Giant. I can’t promise that’s going to happen. We’re not looking to get rid of him, OK? I’d like him to be a Giant. But if you’re asking me for a 100 percent guarantee, nobody has that.”

The speculation began in earnest shortly after a compromising video appeared on social media of Beckham. As if that wasn’t enough to concern the Giants' front office, Beckham has said that he will not step on the field next season without a contract extension.

While he has outplayed his rookie deal, if he doesn’t show up for OTAs, he will be doing himself more harm than good. He is under contract so the Giants do not have to do anything. They could even hit him with the franchise tag a couple times and lock him down longer. If he sits out, his status will remain the same.

He can say whatever he wants to, but the bottom line is the Giants hold all of the cards.