During training in May, Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson let it be known that things were the best they’d been for the team in a couple of years.
“The locker room is a whole lot easier to get along with now,” Richardson, who has since been traded to the Seahawks, told the media. “Let’s just say I’ve got 15 reasons why it’s better.”
The “15” crack refers to Brandon Marshall, the volatile wide receiver whose jersey bore that number during his two-year tenure with the Jets. During that time, he feuded with teammate Richardson so much, the latter called him a “drama queen.”
After a disastrous 5-11 season, the Jets released the 33-year-old Marshall, who reportedly declined a contract extension. But now the Giants have Marshall on a two-year deal worth $12 million — adding a potent weapon to their deep receiving corps, which includes superstar Odell Beckham Jr.
The thing is, Beckham himself is as known for causing ugly commotion as he is for catching the ball. So — as the Giants open their season Sunday versus the Dallas Cowboys — how is the hot-headed Marshall going to handle playing second fiddle to the equally tempestuous Beckham, 24?
On paper, it doesn’t look promising.
Beckham seen as social and generous to other players. He was dishing out [free pairs of] jeans to teammates last week,” an insider said. But Marshall, who has been on five teams and never stuck with one for more than three seasons, famously makes enemies in the locker room.
“He’s a total diva,” an insider told The Post. “He wears out his welcome. He is a locker-room problem. He sulks when he doesn’t get the ball.”
Marshall’s known to take his frustrations out on teammates — such as when he was on the Chicago Bears, and reporters heard him scream at his team after a 2014 loss to Miami.
Former Viking receiver Cris Carter, co-host of Fox Sports 1’s morning show “First Things First,” has mentored both Beckham and Marshall. He acknowledges that the latter is hyperpassionate, which can rub other players the wrong way. “Brandon doesn’t mind calling someone out or getting in their face.”
But here’s why things might just work out between Marshall and Beckham: “Odell,” Carter said, “is looking for a big brother, both on and off the field.”
Believe it or not, Marshall might be the perfect guy for the job. After a career of burning bridges, he seems ready to calm down and protect his future.
Marshall was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2006 and, during his second season, notched 102 catches and more than 1,300 yards. But, according to reports, he alienated his entire team. In 2010, the wide receiver was traded to an abysmal Miami for two seasons.
He landed in Chicago for three years, developing a testy relationship with quarterback Jay Cutler, which led to Marshall boasting, “I was the only one in the organization that had the ‘huevos’ to hold [Cutler] accountable.”
Off the field, Marshall irked Bears management with his TV gig on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL,” which required him to fly to New York regularly.
And in his personal life, Marshall racked up unimpressive stats. In 2007, his teammate Darrent Williams was gunned down — and it was revealed to likely be retaliation for an altercation the shooter had had with Marshall’s cousin at a nightclub. That same year, Marshall was arrested for domestic violence. Months later, he was busted for DUI. In 2011, his wife, Michi Nogami-Marshall, was charged with aggravated battery after allegedly stabbing him.
In the wake of the violence, Marshall announced he had borderline personality disorder, which can lead to anger problems.
By this point, Marshall was known for not making friends. But after landing with the Jets he struck up an uncharacteristic bromance with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick that led to daily texting. Still, Marshall’s time on the team was mostly strained: He reportedly didn’t hold back in the locker room, airing his dismay over the dismal 2016 season.
Carter says that losing drives Marshall, who’s never made the postseason, to act out. “I don’t know a good locker [room] of a losing team. There should be guys cussing and fussing and throwing stuff. You get paid to win.”
Meanwhile, Marshall’s new teammate Beckham, who joined the Giants straight out of LSU in 2014, acts out more publicly. During a sideline tantrum last year, he swung his helmet into a kicking net, which came down on him. And there was his pre playoff beach bacchanal with teammates Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard — followed by a 38-13 loss to Green Bay days later. Beckham was partly blamed for the loss and, afterward, allegedly punched a hole in a wall at Lambeau Field.
But sources say Beckham’s diva ways don’t make it into the locker room, and the players respect his work ethic. And Beckham — who is possibly not playing Sunday because of an ankle injury — is trying to curb his impulses.
“He wishes he could have done a couple things differently,” said Carter.
Also, Beckham — who everyone agrees is the biggest superstar in the league, complete with a Nike endorsement deal said to earn him $5 million annually — is unlikely to be intimidated by someone with a TV show and talent. (Plus, Marshall’s time on ”Inside the NFL” has reportedly been scaled back this year.)
Meanwhile, Marshall, at 33 and with the end of his gridiron career in sight, is thinking more about legacy than ego. After a career of desperately wanting to be No. 1, he is willing to take a backseat in order to finally be on a No. 1 team.
As Marshall himself recently told the NFL Network, “It’s clear, Odell is No. 1. I look forward to making Odell’s job easier. I just want to win.”