Odell Beckham Jr. will remain under contract with the Giants at least through the 2018 season, but the shoe deal he signed with Nike upon entering the league in 2014 recently expired, and that set up a bidding war for the endorsement services of the star wide receiver. The result was the biggest shoe deal ever given to an NFL player.
As reported Tuesday by Nick DePaula of Nice Kicks, the deal is thought to be worth $29 million over five years, with additional incentive clauses. All told, the agreement could pay Beckham $48 million over eight years, making it, per ESPN’s Darren Rovell, at least twice as lucrative as any shoe deal ever given to an NFL player by Nike.
Adidas had reportedly entered the negotiations, causing Nike to use a matching clause in its original deal with Beckham to keep him from jumping to its rival. According to Nice Kicks, the three-time Pro Bowler’s line will feature not just a signature pair of cleats, but an expansive selection of apparel, including lifestyle-oriented products.
Beckham’s deal was negotiated by his agent and his business manager, Heather Van Norman, who is also his mother. Van Norman was a track star at LSU, where she met Beckham’s father, a running back for the Tigers, and where their son would eventually become a college standout.
“It was a long process,” Beckham’s agent, Zeke Sandhu, said of the shoe-deal talks to ESPN. “This proved he’s an icon.”
The 12th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Beckham’s NFL debut was delayed due to hamstring issues, but after he finally took the field in Week 5, he took the NFL by storm. Beckham ended that season with at least 90 yards receiving in each of the Giants’ final nine games, and a catch he made against the Cowboys in a nationally televised game was rated by many as the greatest they had ever seen.
Beckham earned AP offensive rookie of the year honors for that campaign (91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns), and he went on to prove it was no fluke, catching 197 passes for 2,817 yards and 23 scores over the past two seasons. Off the field, Beckham was also a success, becoming one of the NFL’s most recognizable stars while consorting with celebrity friends and romantic interests.
The Giants recently made the widely expected move of picking up the fifth-year option in Beckham’s rookie contract, setting him up for a 2018 salary of approximately $8 million. In the wake of that news, he wrote on Twitter, “I will be workin harder than I ever have, to be the best that I ever have been. I’m more motivated now then I have ever been.”
However, Beckham raised eyebrows Monday, when he missed the first of the Giants’ organized team activities. Attendance at OTAs is voluntary, and it is not known if Beckham’s shoe-deal negotiations played a role in his absence.
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