Odell Beckham Jr. signed the richest NFL shoe deal with Nike this offseason at $25 million and is now eyeing another big deal. This time, he wants to be the highest-paid player in the NFL.
Odell Beckham Jr. says he wants to be the highest-paid player in the NFL
That’s a lofty goal for somebody who’s not a quarterback.
Beckham made his announcement via Uninterrupted in a nearly three-minute video:
Beckham’s inspiration for wanting to be the highest-paid player stems from feeling that football has become more of a job rather than something he just loved to do.
“It’s like the elephant in the room, and you don’t want to talk about it,” Beckham says. “But I’ve gotten to the point in my life where I’m like, ‘No, I’m going to ... there’s no need to not talk about it.’
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“Let your play do the talking for you,” T.O. says.
“I believe that I will be hopefully not just the highest-paid receiver in the league, but the highest-paid, period.”
Beckham will make $1.8 million this season and nearly $8.5 million next season. By average yearly salary, Derek Carr solidified his status as the NFL’s highest-paid player and will make $25 million in 2017. Antonio Brown is currently the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver and will make $17 million this season.
For reference, Brown’s $17 million is the 23rd-highest salary in the NFL for the upcoming season. Franchise quarterback money isn’t typically passed out to wide receivers. Beckham’s teammate Eli Manning is set to make $21 million this year as the 10th highest-paid player in the NFL.
Beckham’s become one of the biggest stars the game has to offer and is undoubtedly one of its best wide receivers. But becoming the game’s highest-paid player in a league that puts quarterbacks a few tiers above everybody else makes his goal quite lofty.
That’s not lost on him and he was realistic when asked about his comments at practice Friday.
Giants owner John Mara called it a “great goal to have” and said the team will eventually pay Beckham, it’s just a question of when. That’s an encouraging sign for Beckham, but unless the Giants are ready to pay unprecedented money to a wide receiver, it could mean a contract dispute between the two sides is on the horizon.
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