Highest-Paid NFL Wide Receivers: Odell Beckham Surpasses Antonio Brown, Mike Evans With New Contract

The New York Giants signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a record-setting contract extension Monday afternoon. The wide receiver agreed to a five-year deal worth $95 million with $65 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports, making him the highest-paid player at his position in terms of average yearly salary.

Beckham is one of several top receivers that received a raise prior to the start of the 2018 NFL season. He was set to make $8.459 million before becoming a free agent in 2019.

Let’s take a look at the wide receivers with the 10 highest average salaries in the NFL, per Over The Cap.

1) Odell Beckham, $19 million

The new deal will pay Beckham an average of $20 million over the first three years. Before getting hurt in the fourth game of last season, Beckham had recorded no fewer than 1,305 yards, 91 catches and 10 touchdowns in his first three NFL seasons.

2) Antonio Brown, $17 million

After leading the NFL in receiving yards last season, Brown cemented his spot as the NFL’s best receiver. Over the course of his four straight First-team All-Pro seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ star has averaged 118 catches for 1,587 yards and 11 touchdowns.

3) Mike Evans, $16.5 million

In March, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave Evans a five-year extension worth $82.5 million with $55 million reportedly guaranteed. Evans has never recorded fewer than 1,000 yards in each of his four NFL seasons.

4) DeAndre Hopkins, $16.2 million

The Houston Texans haven’t exactly had the best group of quarterbacks over the last five years, but Hopkins has still managed to total 413 catches for 5,865 yards during that time. That’s why the team rewarded him with a five-year, $81 million contract before the start of the 2017 season.

4) Brandin Cooks, $16.2 million

A couple of months after the Los Angeles Rams acquired Cooks in a trade with the New England Patriots, they locked him into a five-year extension. After playing in 10 games as a rookie, Cooks has totaled at least 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns in three straight years.

6) Sammy Watkins, $16 million

It was a little surprising when the Kansas City Chiefs gave Watkins a three-year, $48 million contract with a $21 million signing bonus to make him the highest-paid receiver in the 2018 season. Watkins was drafted ahead of both Evans and Beckham in the 2014 draft, but he hasn’t been nearly as productive with an average of just 763 receiving yards per year.

7) Jarvis Landry, $15.1 million

Shortly after the Miami Dolphins used their franchise tag on Landry, the team traded him to the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland gave a five-year, $75 million contract to the player that led the league with 112 catches a year ago.

8) A.J. Green, $15 million

Green is a model of consistency with six 1,000-plus yard seasons in the past seven years. He’s got two years left on his contract and has led the Cincinnati Bengals in receiving each year since the team drafted him in 2011.

9) Davante Adams, $14.5 million

Adams signed a four-year $58 million extension with the Green Bay Packers at the end of last season. He recorded 74 catches for 885 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2017, despite Aaron Rodgers missing more than half the season.

10) Stefon Diggs, $14.4 million

With just three years in the league and no 1,000-yard seasons, Diggs has less career production than any receiver on the list. He had 849 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games last year, and the Minnesota Vikings gave him a five-year extension a few months after he put the team into the NFC Championship Game with the Minnesota Miracle.