This is the news Giants fans have been waiting to hear all offseason.

It appears Big Blue has finally begun contract talks with star WR Odell Beckham Jr., SNY's Ralph Vacchiano confirmed. ESPN's Jordan Raanan was the first to report it on Thursday.

Vacchiano is hearing the talks are "very, very preliminary," but it is worth noting his agent, Zeke Sandhu, was seen at camp speaking with the Giants' front office staff including assistant GM Kevin Abrams. His mother and father are there as well, however, they are regulars at camp.

It's interesting this news comes after co-owner John Mara said he wanted contract negotiations to start "sooner rather than later," but that both sides hadn't discussed it yet. Mara also noted that the more reasonable Beckham's agents are, the sooner a deal could get done.

"We obviously want him to be a Giant for a long time," Mara said Wednesday on WFAN's Morning Show with Boomer and Gio. "Obviously we know what it's going to take. We think we know what it's going to take to sign him. We'll see if they agree."

A slightly better shot of today's power couple - Giants asst. GM Kevin Abrams (in white) and Odell Beckham's agent Zeke Sandhu (in black). pic.twitter.com/Hsq24agxmT
- Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) August 2, 2018

Beckham has put the ball in the Giants' court with this particular case, having done everything right this offseason. He showed up for some of the voluntary workout sessions, and all of the three-day mandatory minicamp. More importantly, there was no holdout at the start of camp -- a break from the trend that disgruntled players have been doing across the league.

The truth is, though, Beckham could have held out considering the other receivers around the league who are getting paid. The latest was Vikings WR Stefon Diggs, a fifth-rounder in 2015, who signed a five-year, $72 million deal with $40.5 million fully guaranteed.

Beckham's deal should rival Diggs' considering his status in the league. The 25-year-old is considered by many as a Top 5 wideout, and he noted last summer that he wishes to be the highest-paid player in the league one day.

But, given Mara's "reasonable" comments, that might not be the case. Instead, he may have to settle with a deal that could emulate or even surpass Steelers WR Antonio Brown's $17 million per season. There's also Bucs WR Mike Evans' $55 million guaranteed money on his deal he signed last offseason.

Beckham may get the best of both worlds, but we won't know until the numbers and years are put on paper. When that will happen is the big question, but the first step in inking the Giants' most versatile asset has been taken.

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