NFL Star Who Pretended to be Urinating Dog and Barely Played Last Year Gets Record Deal -- Report
Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants is now the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver.
A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday the team agreed to a five-year contract extension with the three-time Pro Bowler.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Giants have not announced the deal, which comes less than two weeks before the season opener against Jacksonville.
While terms were not disclosed, the deal with the 25-year-old, 2014 first-rounder is worth about $95 million with $65 million guaranteed.
Beckham’s $19 million average salary would top the $17 million earned by Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
His $95 million deal also tops the $82.5 million deal receiver Mike Evans has with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Beckham, who missed most of last season with a broken left ankle, was scheduled to make $8.4 million in the final year of his rookie contract.
In his first four seasons, Beckham has caught 313 passes for 4,424 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Beckham has not played in any of the Giants’ three preseason games as new coach Pat Shurmur has taken a very cautious approach with the catalyst to his offense coming off his first major professional injury.
It is unlikely Beckham will play in the preseason finale on Thursday against New England, so his first game action since being hurt in October will be against the Jaguars at home on Sept. 9.
A lot has been written about Beckham’s contract situation since the end of last season.
There were reports the Giants were involved in trade talks with the Rams and many wondered whether co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch wanted to spend a lot of money on a player who also created some disturbing news off the field.
Beckham annoyed many by going to Florida for a boat outing with teammates before a playoff game after the 2016 regular season. He then played poorly in a one-sided loss to the Packers.
Last season, Beckham was fined for pretending to be a urinating dog for a touchdown celebration.
Odell Beckham Jr. was fined $12,154 for pretending to be a dog peeing as a TD celebration.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 29, 2017
His reputation took another hit when a video was posted with him in a room where a hand-rolled cigarette was visible.
A woman next to him had unidentified white powder on a nearby table.
During this past offseason, Beckham seemed to mature. He worked hard to overcome his injury, stayed out of trouble and developed a good relationship with Shurmur. He also said all the right things when asked about getting a new contract.
Beckham’s agent, Zeke Sandhu, spoke with assistant general manager Kevin Abrams for almost two hours on the patio overlooking the field during a practice earlier this month.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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