Although he had a down year in 2016 thanks in large part to issues at the quarterback position, Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is among the league's most elite. That's why the five-year, $81 million extension he signed on Thursday came as little surprise.
That deal, which includes $49 million guaranteed and averages $16.2 million per year, will have a rippled effect, however.
With Hopkins' deal now out of the way, it sets the stage for other elite receivers like New York Giants superstar Odell Beckham Jr., who has publicly acknowledged he'd like to be the highest paid player in the NFL.
"It's like the elephant in the room, and you don't want to talk about it," Beckham told UNINTERRUPTED in July. "But I've gotten to the point in my life where I'm like, 'No, I'm going to … there's no need to not talk about it.
"I believe that I will be hopefully not just the highest-paid receiver in the league, but the highest-paid, period."
Giants co-owner John Mara, unfazed by Beckham's financial desires, didn't bat an eye in the face of potentially making OBJ the highest-paid player in the NFL.
"He's going to get paid a lot of money at the appropriate time," Mara told reporters in July. "You can argue that the appropriate time is now, but you can argue both sides of that, I guess. It'll happen when it happens.
"He deserves to get paid, we're going to pay him, it's just a question of when we enter into the contract, and I don't have a time table on it right now. I just don't think there's any need to rush into it. He's going to end up getting paid at some point."
The Giants have already put all of their eggs into a single basket, so following Hopkins' $81 million deal, it's entirely plausible that Beckham ultimately lands a deal near the $100 million he desires.
That deal, which includes $49 million guaranteed and averages $16.2 million per year, will have a rippled effect, however.
With Hopkins' deal now out of the way, it sets the stage for other elite receivers like New York Giants superstar Odell Beckham Jr., who has publicly acknowledged he'd like to be the highest paid player in the NFL.
"It's like the elephant in the room, and you don't want to talk about it," Beckham told UNINTERRUPTED in July. "But I've gotten to the point in my life where I'm like, 'No, I'm going to … there's no need to not talk about it.
"I believe that I will be hopefully not just the highest-paid receiver in the league, but the highest-paid, period."
Giants co-owner John Mara, unfazed by Beckham's financial desires, didn't bat an eye in the face of potentially making OBJ the highest-paid player in the NFL.
"He's going to get paid a lot of money at the appropriate time," Mara told reporters in July. "You can argue that the appropriate time is now, but you can argue both sides of that, I guess. It'll happen when it happens.
"He deserves to get paid, we're going to pay him, it's just a question of when we enter into the contract, and I don't have a time table on it right now. I just don't think there's any need to rush into it. He's going to end up getting paid at some point."
The Giants have already put all of their eggs into a single basket, so following Hopkins' $81 million deal, it's entirely plausible that Beckham ultimately lands a deal near the $100 million he desires.
