Odell Beckham Jr. earned a reputation at LSU as a game-breaking scorer every time he had the football in his hands. Drafted by the New York Giants in 2014, he went on to have a decade-long NFL journey which saw him as one of the most popular receivers of his era. Lately, though, the buzz around Beckham Jr. is not about his pro league heroics. Rumors are swirling that the star wideout has gone bankrupt. 

“Odell Beckham Jr has filed for bankruptcy (Per @TheNFLDrop),” reported NFL Insider Adam Ferrell.

But if we do some more research, there are no legitimate source that claims Beckham is now facing any serious financial strain. According to the YahooSports reports, as of 2025, he has an estimated net worth of $45 million USD. Even though his bankruptcy rumor is yet to be confirmed, Beckham Jr. has always been open about discussing his problems in managing finances. He pulled up the curtain on the financial perils that come uninvited with a $100 million deal. 

“I’ve always explained this to people, bro, you give somebody a five-year, $100 million contract. What is it really?” he said. “It’s five years for 60 (million). You’re getting taxed. Do the math, that’s 12 a year that you have to spend, use, save, invest, flaunt, whatever.” 

So, even though everyone glorifies a $100 million contract, the real figure that comes after tax deductions is much less than that. Beckham Jr. faced the reality even more strongly since his NFL payday has been a wild ride. His second Giants contract clocked in at $90 million over five years before a trade to Cleveland, according to Spotrac. Besides this, his stints with the Los Angeles Rams handed him a $1.2 million offer, from which he turned some of it into bitcoin. Beckham Jr. then pocketed $15 million with the Baltimore Ravens and $3 million with the Miami Dolphins.

He even re-signed with Nike in 2017 for a deal worth roughly $5 million per year, the richest shoe deal for an NFL player at the time. Other partners included Head & Shoulders, Lenovo, and Foot Locker.

Beckham has been in the spotlight ever since his college days. Paired with Jarvis Landry in 2013, Beckham Jr. and Landry became the first duo in school history to each eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. Beckham Jr. also led the SEC and ranked second nationally in all-purpose yards, averaging 178.1 per game. Traveling to the pros, it did not take him long to climb the ladder.

In 2016, he became the fastest player ever to hit 200 catches and 4,000 receiving yards. By 2018, Beckham Jr. reportedly topped the pay charts as the league’s highest-paid wideout, pulling in $95 million with the Giants. But then he was traded to the Cleveland Browns that year, where he spent three seasons before hitting free agency in 2021. He bounced to the Rams later that November where he actually ended up winning a Super Bowl while tearing his ACL in the championship game. He later signed with the Ravens in 2023, and was released again in 2024. Beckham may have difficulty in landing a roster right now, but he is surely not bankrupt.

But there are obviously cases of pro football players landing themselves in financial trouble. A most recent example is former Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety, Shilo Sanders, who was hit with an $11 million judgment stemming from a personal injury lawsuit tied to an alleged high school assault on a security guard. To allegedly evade the charges, he declared himself bankrupt. 

Then there is the case of Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson. He has been embroiled in high-profile legal battles over mounting debts that reached approximately $12.5 million by late 2024. The primary issue stems from a $5.2 million loan Peterson took out from a Pennsylvania-based lender in 2016. These funds were themselves intended to pay off other existing creditors. By 2021, a judge entered an $8.3 million judgment against Peterson, which ballooned to over $12 million due to interest and legal fees.

An attempt was made to auction his NFL trophies and memorabilia (including his 2012 MVP trophy), but Peterson successfully delayed the sale, stating he was “financially stable” and did not authorize it. His financial downfall is often attributed to extravagant spending, such as a lavish 30th birthday party in 2015 that reportedly featured a rented camel. While he earned over $103 million in his NFL career, his income dropped significantly after 2016 when the Vikings declined an $18 million option. To combat his debts, Peterson has participated in celebrity boxing matches and poker tournaments as of 2025.

Even though Beckham has escaped such a fate when it comes to his finances, the LSU alum did face a suspension last season.

Odell Beckham Jr.’s six-game suspension chapter

In October 2025, the star wideout took a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, putting his comeback on hold. The free agent had failed a PED test last season while with the Miami Dolphins. Beckham confessed that he never knowingly took any banned substances. The three-time Pro Bowler revealed that when he asked the league what triggered the positive test, the response shocked him: “Your testosterone levels are too high.”

However, even amidst all this turmoil, he stressed his choice to return to the NFL. Last year, there was news going around of him possibly retiring. But he came up with a sharp reply to end the rumors.  

“Retiring is not happening,” he said. “I just be wanting to play ball on a good team where I have a role, where I got five, six, seven plays where I get the chance to catch. I just want to play ball, finish off my legacy for myself.”

Beckham’s magical back handed catch still plays in most highlight reels and his explosive connection with Baker Mayfield in Cleveland also shows that he can produce if put in the right situation. But that was years ago. At his current age of 33, it is yet to be known if Beckham can return back to the production of his glory days.

NFL free agency kicks off March 11, 2026, at 4 p.m. ET, giving players with expiring contracts the chance to ink new deals. With bankruptcy rumors off the table, can Odell Beckham Jr. land a new NFL home?