Odell Beckham Jr. Becomes First Black NFL Player To Request Crypto Salary In CashApp Partnership

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. seems to have parlayed his new contract with the Los Angeles Rams into a partnership to help promote CashApp as a Bitcoin platform.

Beckham was signed by the Rams less than one week after his previous team, the Cleveland Browns, released him on Nov. 5. Last Monday, Beckham tweeted how he would be receiving his paychecks for the remainder of the 2021-2022 season.

It’s a NEW ERA & to kick that off I’m hyped to announce that I’m taking my new salary in bitcoin thanks to @CashApp. To ALL MY FANS out there, no matter where u r: THANK YOU! I’m giving back a total of $1M in BTC rn too. Drop your $cashtag w. #OBJBTC & follow @CashApp NOW pic.twitter.com/ds1IgZ1zup

— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) November 22, 2021

According to Motley Fool, Beckham’s one-year deal with the Rams could be worth up to $4.5 million, once performance bonuses and milestone payments are factored.

Without directly saying that this was an official endorsement or paid partnership from CashApp, Beckham also revealed that he would be giving fans a total of $1 million in Bitcoin. In order to enter a chance to win, participants have to respond with their cashtags, or CashApp user names.

Screenshots from fans who have already received their gifts from OBJ show the individual prizes as approximately $20, based on today’s exchange rate, which values one Bitcoin at about $59,000.

CashApp ran a similar promotion with the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers in November, when he announced that he would be receiving a portion of his salary in Bitcoin through the platform. Newsweek reported that fans who participated in Rodgers’ contest said they received anywhere for $10 to $100.

Jacksonville Jaguars’ rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence was the first to incorporate cryptocurrency in his NFL contract. Ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, where he was selected first overall, he announced that he had partnered with Blockfolio to receive his signing bonus—then estimated at around $23 million—in an account with the company.