On Monday, Odell Beckham Jr. signed a historic extension with the New York Giants. The deal makes Beckham the highest paid receiver in NFL history. Beckham put pen to paper on a deal that will pay him $95M over the course of a five-year extension with the Giants. The deal also includes $65M in guaranteed money, which is also an all-time record for NFL wide receivers. The annual average value of the contract is $19M.
The deal that Beckham signed surpasses Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown and Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans in two key areas. First, Beckham’s $19M per year figure is $2M more per year than Brown’s deal with Pittsburgh. Beckham is also younger than Brown. Second, Beckham getting $65M in guaranteed money crushes Evans’ previous record of $55M he is receiving from the Buccaneers. I do not think anyone would argue that, when on the field, Beckham is more dynamic of a play-maker than the talented Evans.
Many former agents and salary pundits are considering this deal a victory for both sides. Beckham ensures his financial future with the huge amount of guaranteed money after coming off of injury-riddled seasons. Furthermore, Beckham could have been under team control for three more years had the Giants chosen not to extend him, but franchise him twice after his current contract ran out at the end of the 2019 season. For their part, the Giants are able to lock up one of the best receivers in the league for an extended period of time without going over the $20M per year threshold that they wanted to avoid.
Beckham started his career with three straight 90 plus catch, 1,300 plus yards, and double-digit touchdown seasons. Last year was a wasted year for the All–Pro receiver as he appeared in only four games due to injury. When on the field, Beckham is certainly a top three receiver in the league. However, Beckham’s sideline and off the field behavior may give some critics of the deal pause when considering the risk involved for the Giants. Beckham has been known for tangling with opponents after plays, destroying a kicking net, and costing his team yards with touchdown celebrations. A video also recently surfaced on the internet of Beckham and a woman in a room with a white substance on a piece of cardboard. You can speculate as to the chemical makeup of the substance.
The Giants will move forward with an interesting offensive punch in 2018. Eli Manning, Saquon Barkley, and Beckham will certainly provide a spark that the Giants lacked all season in 2017. Manning, for his part, may have a very short window to add to his Super Bowl collection, so the time is now for the Giants. The offensive-minded new head coach, Pat Shurmur, has plenty of weapons to utilize on offense. The Giants may not win the Super Bowl or even make the playoffs, but this offense will surely not be the laughing stock that they were a year ago.