Odell Beckham Jr. is entering his fourth NFL season as one of the most productive and exciting players in the game. In each of his three previous seasons, he has eclipsed 90 receptions, 1,300 yards, and ten touchdowns. He is only 24 years old and his best football is undoubtedly yet to come. With the final year of his rookie contract to be played in 2017, Beckham has made it known that he is ready to be paid. While Beckham would love to be the highest paid receiver in the game, he has higher aspirations. He wishes to be the NFL’s highest paid player, period. However, Beckham will not and should not be the highest paid player in the league.
Odell Beckham Jr. Should Not Be NFL’s Highest Paid Player
Does Beckham deserve a lucrative long-term deal from the Giants? Of course. His play and his numbers speak for themselves. Every time he touches the ball he is a threat to take it to the house. A three-yard slant could go for a sixty-yard touchdown in the blink of an eye. Does this mean that Beckham should be paid higher than any other player in the league? Of course not, and a number of factors will ensure this does not happen.
Beckham Not the Best Receiver in the League
For starters, Beckham is not even the clear-cut best receiver in the league, let alone best player overall. While there are certainly those who would make that argument, the most common conception is that Beckham is a top three receiver. Antonio Brown of the Steelers and Julio Jones of the Falcons are the only receivers to surmount him. Brown recently signed a four-year $68 million contact extension, while Jones is playing on a five-year roughly $71.25 million contract. These contracts should be the most influential in measuring Beckham’s future deal.
But how should Beckham’s contract stack up? Even if Beckham is not the best wide receiver at the moment, it doesn’t mean he won’t be paid like he is. His deal will likely take a little from both of the top wideouts contracts. The money part of the deal should be comparable to Brown’s deal. Beckham likely will not settle until he is making an average of at least $17 million a year. The duration of the contract will probably mirror Jones’ deal with the Giants locking their playmaker up for five years. With these standards, Beckham could be looking at a $90 million payday.
The Real Reason Odell Beckham Won’t Be Highest Paid
If Beckham can be paid as the best wide receiver in the league, as the Giants are likely ready to do, could he also be paid as the best player in the league? Derek Carr just signed a five-year, $125 million deal to make him the NFL’s highest paid. Beckham has more NFL records to his name, a more proven record of production, and a larger fan following than Carr. A number of players in the league have also come out and said that Beckham deserves to be paid as the best. Unfortunately for Beckham, this will never happen, and there’s one glaring reason why. The real reason why he has no shot at becoming the league’s highest paid player is because he isn’t a quarterback.
The quarterback plays the most important position in football today. It is a passing league now more than ever. A franchise quarterback can be the difference between a 5-11 record and an 11-5 record. While Odell is a phenomenal player, it would be hard to argue that his stats would be as staggering as they have been had a quarterback outside of Eli Manning been throwing him the ball. Manning is set to make $21 million this season. It is difficult to imagine a scenario where Beckham is making more money than this annually. If Beckham is to demand equal or more money than this, the Giants may find it difficult to retain their biggest playmaker.
The Last Word
Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the game’s biggest icons. In his three years in the league, he has established himself as one of the best. In the near future, he will become a very wealthy man. However, there is no chance he becomes the highest paid player in the league. With the top 15 highest paid players in the league all playing quarterback, it is unlikely Beckham cracks that list. Only time will tell how much money this young superstar will end up with.
