Odell Beckham Jr.’s brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams is best remembered for culminating in a Super Bowl ring for the star wide receiver, even though he tore his ACL in the first half of the win over the Cincinnati Bengals shortly after catching a touchdown pass.
But Beckham is still reaping the benefits from his Rams tenure thanks to his decision to take the salary from the team in Bitcoin upon signing with the team in November 2021 following his release from the Cleveland Browns. Bitcoin, the most established and popular cryptocurrency in existence, has surged in value following the re-election of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump has expressed an openness to crypto-friendly policies during his campaign to return to the White House, marking a departure from the hostile stance toward cryptocurrency that current president Joe Biden’s administration has taken. (Trump himself was also once a harsh critic of cryptocurrency but has seemingly revised his stance in recent years.)
Bitcoin has risen roughly $30,000 — from $62,000 to above $92,000 per share — over the past month, with most of that surge coming after Trump’s re-election. And Beckham, now with the Miami Dolphins, has noticed, clapping back at critics who mocked him when Bitcoin’s value plummeted amid cryptocurrency-wide struggles in 2022.
According to reports at the time, Beckham earned $4.25 million during his stint with the Rams, $3 million of which came from incentives that were reached when the team won the Super Bowl.
It’s unclear whether Beckham received part or all of his Rams salary in bitcoin, and thus how much of his previous wages are worth now. Russell Okung, a former NFL offensive lineman who played with the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers, is an early adopter and longtime vocal proponent of Bitcoin, and half of his $13 million salary in his final NFL season with the Panthers in 2020 was paid out in Bitcoin. That $6.5 million is now worth over $20 million, Okung has confirmed on social media.
It’s unknown how many other NFL players have attempted similar maneuvers with cryptocurrency. Free-agent quarterback and former USC Trojans star Matt Barkley has long been a vocal proponent of Bitcoin, while NBA player Spencer Dinwiddie has attempted to venture into cryptocurrency and digital tokens with contracts he’s signed with the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards.
Several much higher-profile athletes have also received part of their team salary and/or endorsements via cryptocurrency in recent years, or endorsed cryptocurrency themselves. This group includes soccer icon Lionel Messi, former NBA Golden State Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Andre Iguadola, MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani and NFL stars Aaron Rodgers and Trevor Lawrence.
Aside from Messi, the athletes on that list incorporated Bitcoin into part of their salaries in 2021 — however, all of them except Iguadola (who retired in 2023) have signed new contracts since then, and it’s unknown whether their current deals — especially Ohtani’s historic 10-year, $700 million, deferral-heavy pact with the Los Angeles Dodgers signed last year — include a share of that money in Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency.
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