By Jonathon Goad
Odell Beckham Jr. finally got his money and is now the highest paid wide receiver in NFL history, after he and the New York Football Giants agreed to a 5-year, $95 million deal.
For those of you who aren’t good at math, that’s $19 million per year, ya’ll. This record-breaking deal also includes $65 million in fully guaranteed money.
Live look-in at Odell Beckham Jr:#Giants #NFL pic.twitter.com/mzgcZEhfxH
— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffJMags) August 27, 2018
That’s a lot of money, especially for a player who has a bit of injury history. Beckham missed 12 games last season with an ankle injury and started his career with a hamstring injury that sidelined him for four weeks.
On the other hand, OBJ is an elite talent. He has caught 313 passes for 4,424 yards, and 38 touchdowns. He reached 300 receptions, 4,000 yards, and 30 touchdowns faster than anyone in NFL history — doing so in 13 fewer games.
In his first four seasons, Beckham also averaged the most receiving yards per game in NFL history, while second to Julio Jones for career yards per game.
The Giants star wide-out is now making a higher per-year salary than Antonio Brown, who is making $17 million per season. Beckham is also receiving more guaranteed money than Mike Evans’ $55 million.
No one is saying that Beckham doesn’t deserve more than Mike Evans, but many NFL fans would argue that Antonio Brown deserves to be the highest paid player at that position.
Stephan A. Smith agrees, and so do I.
Congrats,OBJ! You deserve this. But……… pic.twitter.com/0d8qdzWI9p
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) August 27, 2018
However, anyone who can do this, deserves to get paid.
https://twitter.com/AthleticDesires/status/1030667797678845954
It’s also safe to say that he’s pretty happy about his deal (along with Sterling Shepard).
need friends like Sterling Shepard to gas me up when I get paid 😂
(via @EthanGSN)pic.twitter.com/QR9uxKXLfU— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 27, 2018
The Giants locked up their best wide receiver just like so many other teams have. Check out this list of the top paid wide receivers, not named Odell Beckham Jr.
| Player | Team | Total Value |
Avg./Year | Total Guaranteed |
Avg. Guar./Year |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Brown | Steelers | $68,000,000 | $17,000,000 | $19,000,000 | $4,750,000 | ||
| Mike Evans | Buccaneers | $82,500,000 | $16,500,000 | $38,258,000 | $7,651,600 | ||
| DeAndre Hopkins | Texans | $81,000,000 | $16,200,000 | $36,500,000 | $7,300,000 | ||
| Brandin Cooks | Rams | $81,000,000 | $16,200,000 | $20,459,000 | $4,091,800 | ||
| Sammy Watkins | Chiefs | $48,000,000 | $16,000,000 | $30,000,000 | $10,000,000 | ||
| Jarvis Landry | Browns | $75,500,000 | $15,100,000 | $34,000,000 | $6,800,000 | ||
| A.J. Green | Bengals | $60,000,000 | $15,000,000 | $26,750,000 | $6,687,500 | ||
| Davante Adams | Packers | $58,000,000 | $14,500,000 | $18,000,000 | $4,500,000 | ||
| Stefon Diggs | Vikings | $72,000,000 | $14,400,000 | $16,907,000 | $3,381,400 | ||
| Julio Jones | Falcons | $71,250,000 | $14,250,000 | $35,500,000 | $7,100,000 | ||
| Demaryius Thomas | Broncos | $70,000,000 | $14,000,000 | $35,000,000 | $7,000,000 | ||
| Allen Robinson | Bears | $42,000,000 | $14,000,000 | $18,000,000 | $6,000,000 | ||
| TY Hilton | Colts | $65,000,000 | $13,000,000 | $11,000,000 | $2,200,000 | ||
| Alshon Jeffery | Eagles | $52,000,000 | $13,000,000 | $14,250,000 | $3,562,500 | ||
| Doug Baldwin | Seahawks | $46,000,000 | $11,500,000 | $12,000,000 | $3,000,000 | ||
| Keenan Allen | Chargers | $45,000,000 | $11,250,000 | $20,656,000 | $5,164,000 | ||
| DeSean Jackson | Buccaneers | $33,500,000 | $11,166,667 | $20,000,000 | $6,666,667 | ||
| Emmanuel Sanders | Broncos | $33,000,000 | $11,000,000 | $20,000,000 | $6,666,667 |
The thing that stands out is how long before the top guys become free agents. Most of them won’t be until 2022 or later and rightfully so. These are the best of the best at the position, so it’s no surprised they are locked-up for the foreseeable future.
I’m not arguing that Odell doesn’t deserve to get paid, but I’m always surprised at how much these players get. The bar seems to rise every year, with no signs of slowing down.
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Congratulations on your deal, Odell! Please continue to entertain us with your otherworldly catches.
I’d hate to see you take your money and half-ass it from now on.
Categories: NFL
