Cowboys Rumors: Odell Beckham Jr.’s contract demands are utterly insane
By Jerry Trotta
The Dallas Cowboys have had long-standing interest in Odell Beckham Jr. They rolled out the red carpet to sign him late last season, as Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons took him to a Mavericks game, where he was the center of attention.
When push came to shove, though, Beckham’s physical sparked concerns amongst Cowboys officials, and talks broke off.
Now over a year removed from ACL surgery, Beckham hosted a workout in Arizona on Friday to showcase his health to the league. Dallas didn’t send anyone to the workout, but Jerry Jones has stated multiple times since the offseason started that the team would jump at the chance to sign Beckham.
History suggests Dallas would rather sign a receiver rather than give up resources for DeAndre Hopkins, Brandin Cooks, or Stefon Diggs.
That theoretically would make Beckham the overwhelming favorite to end up with a star on his helmet, but only if the money is right.
That … doesn’t appear to be the case, however, as Pro Football Talk reported Beckham still wants $20 million per year on his next deal.
OBJ is still looking for $20M per year; it's hard to imagine him getting that without proving himself first. https://t.co/BEQHGW20iQ
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 12, 2023
Cowboys FA target Odell Beckham Jr. wants $20 million per year
"“At one point during the 2022 season, a report emerged that free-agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. wants $20 million per year. We’re told that Beckham still has that number in mind,” PFT’s Mike Florio reported.“It’s hard to imagine it happening, without Beckham proving that he can play at a high level. He was indeed playing at a high level in the 2021 postseason, but he suffered a torn ACL in Super Bowl LVI. He likely needs to re-establish himself before he can get what he’s looking for.”"
Beckham would be a statement signing for the Cowboys, and his history a dominant slant runner makes him a seamless fit (on paper) in Mike McCarthy’s offense. However, Beckham hasn’t delivered a $20 million-worthy since 2019 when he posted 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four TDs with the Browns.
Odell certainly showed flashes in the playoffs two seasons ago with the Rams that he’s still that caliber of player, but his torn ACL in the Super Bowl — his second to the same knee — changed everything about his market.
On a positive note, though, Beckham looked like prime OBJ in his workout making logic-defying catches look ordinary. More importantly, the 30-year-old look spry and seemingly had zero limitations in regard to his knee.
Odell Beckham, Jr. still makes absurd catches look easy. This was sick ⬇️ https://t.co/EfpExDUz9H
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 11, 2023
As Florio states, however, it’s hard to imagine a team doling out $20 million annually without the player proving himself first.
The ironic part about Beckham’s reported demands is that it equates to Amari Cooper’s current annual earnings, and the Cowboys offloaded Cooper to Beckham’s former team (Cleveland) supposedly because of his contract.
Stay tuned to see how this report impacts Dallas’ pursuit of Odell. As much as Jerry Jones wants him on the Cowboys, there’s no way the penny-pinching owner ponies up that kind of money for a player that carries so much risk.
