4 NFL WRs who bombed after signing a massive deal ft. Odell Beckham Jr.

#3 Javon Walker ($55 million deal with the Oakland Raiders)

Javon Walker headshot (raiders.com)

There are some NFL contracts that you just look at and immediately write them off as bad business.

The Oakland Raiders giving a 29-year-old receiver who had already undergone multiple knee surgeries a six-year deal worth $55 million just made no sense.

Javon Walker had been productive with the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos, although he had only had one real shining season in the NFL.

This came in 2004 when he scored 12 touchdowns and registered 1,382 yards.

A lot changed in the four years between that glorious season and his arrival in Oakland. He never produced anything good with his new team.

In his only year with the franchise, he played just eight games, scored one touchdown, and registered 196 yards. He missed a large part of the season due to injury.

It was an abysmal return for a starting receiver, let alone one being paid $55 million. He was released and subsequently retired.

#4 Odell Beckham Jr. ($95 million deal with the New York Giants)

Jacksonville Jaguars v New York Giants

Odell Beckham Jr. was a star in the NFL, and it’s unfortunately easy to forget that.

When he arrived in New York, he was the darling of the league, leaving NFL fans gasping with his one-handed catches.

Yet, his performances only lasted until he received his major payday.

The Giants signed the receiver to a deal worth $95 million. The final five million were tied into a bonus structure, and he subsequently bombed badly.

It was a deal which, when signed, made Beckham the highest paid WR in NFL history. He didn’t deliver the numbers expected.

In his first three years in the NFL, he scored 12, 13, and 10 touchdowns respectively. He also registered 1,305, 1,450 and 1,367 yards respectively.

Beckham was an elite performer, perhaps the best in his position in the league, and the Giants knew it.

Fans were overjoyed when he agreed to re-sign in New York, even if it was an expensive move.

What followed was a drop of epic proportions. He played just 12 games in 2018 and scored six touchdowns. He became an increasingly anonymous presence on the Giants’ offense.

As his performances deteriorated, his relationships in New York did, too. At the end of the season, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns.