Odell Beckham Jr. set for stunning NFL return after he nearly doubled salary with unique Bitcoin contract

Odell Beckham Jr. is back in the building.

The three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver had a workout and physical with the New York Giants Monday, and may be on the verge of a reunion with the team that drafted him back in 2014.

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Beckham established himself as one of the NFL‘s top play-makers during his time at MetLife Stadium, and became the fastest player in history to reach both 200 career receptions and 4,000 career receiving yards.

He was then traded to the Cleveland Browns for the 2019 season, and struggled to recapture that form, tearing his ACL in 2020.

Beckham later moved on to the Los Angeles Rams, where he impressed as a complement to Cooper Kupp.

He scored the first touchdown of the team’s Super Bowl LVI win over the Cincinnati Bengals, but spent the 2022 season out rehabbing another ACL injury.

While stints with the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins followed, he will never forget his time in LA, thanks to that championship ring — and the rather unique contract he signed.

Odell Beckham Jr. took Rams salary in Bitcoin

Back in 2021, Beckham turned heads when he agreed a one-year deal on the West Coast, worth up to $4.25million.

That figure is not exactly out of the ordinary, but OBJ received his total salary in Bitcoin.

His contract included a $750,000 base earning, a $500,000 signing bonus and $3m in incentives that he earned after winning the Super Bowl that season.

While Beckham’s crypto decision was deemed risky at the time, it massively paid off.

Come 2025, he was celebrating as Bitcoin hit a record high.

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In June last year, the currency briefly eclipsed $123,000, which was nearly double Beckham’s entry-point price when he signed with the Rams.

If he did indeed keep all his Bitcoin from 2021, that $750,000 sum would have climbed to around $1.35m four years on.

According to reports at the time, that would equate to around an 80 per cent gain on his initial investment.

It’s fair to say OBJ was pretty happy with his decision, too.

Odell Beckham Jr. took victory laps over Bitcoin investment

“People doubted me when I accepted my paycheck in Bitcoin,” he posted on X in June 2025.

“Jokes on you.”

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That wasn’t the only time he opened up on his investment, either.

When Bitcoin broke through the $90,000 level in November 2024, he shared a message about being ‘patient’ on his LinkedIn profile.

“All I gotta say is you need to be patient,” he posted.

“Took my Rams salary in Bitcoin a few years ago and everyone thought it was the worst decision.

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“Sometimes you just gotta play the long game and trust your gut.”

Patience could soon pay off for OBJ once again.

Will Odell Beckham Jr. really make an NFL return?

After leaving the Rams in 2022, Beckham bounced from the Ravens to the Dolphins.

He was then unsigned in 2025, and served a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

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But OBJ could now be set for a reunion with the Giants, and their new head coach John Harbaugh, who he worked with in Baltimore.

Last month, Harbaugh actually teased his NFL return.

“We maintain a really great relationship. He’s one of my favorite people in the world,” he said of Beckham at the NFL’s annual meeting.

“It’s not like you don’t talk to guys about things like that, and certainly, we have. We’ll just have to see where it all goes.

“What’s best for him, what’s best for the Giants. That’s the number one thing: It’s what’s best for our team.”

Beckham has also previously suggested he would be interested in playing for the Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Kansas City Chiefs, should he make a comeback.

Right now, though, all signs are pointing to a reunion in New York — where he would perhaps want to sign another Bitcoin contract.

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