Why Odell Beckham Jr. hitting his contract incentives will be huge for the Dolphins

When the Miami Dolphins signed Odell Beckham Jr., they did so with a low base salary and a lot of incentives. We now know the breakdown of those incentives, and if he hits them, his salary will hit the $8 million mark, and the Dolphins will likely make the playoffs.

Let's break this down a bit more before we jump into the numbers. A lot has to happen between now and early January 2025 for the Dolphins to make the postseason and Beckham will be a part of it. The better season he has, the better Miami's chance to advance, but it comes with a caveat: he has to reach these numbers with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle both staying relatively healthy all year long.

OBJ isn't supposed to be the focal point of this offense. He is an addition and if he reaches these incentives as a third receiver, the Dolphins offense will be clicking.

Odell Beckham Jr. can earn $2.2 million based on his receiving yards

• 566 yards receiving - $400,000

• 650 yards receiving - $800,000

• 800 yards receiving - $1 million

Odell Beckham Jr. will earn $2.2 million by reaching these reception marks

• 36 catches - $400,000

• 45 catches - $800,000

• 55 catches - $1 million

Odell Beckham Jr. will earn a max $850,000 from his touchdown totals

• 4 TDs - $400,000

• 6 TDs - $450,000

The numbers are courtesy of Josh Moser.

There is no doubt that Beckham is not the same player that he was five years ago, but he is still productive. Last year with the Ravens, Beckham came close or eclipsed several of the criteria that will raise the value of his contract with Miami.

Beckham posted 27 receptions on 48 targets in 2023. Fifty targets is a reasonable expectation in 2024 and it could be more if OBJ is left in single coverage with a linebacker or slot corner. I would expect his reception totals this year to be around 45, which would trigger the $800,000 escalator.

Receiving yards will be interesting as well. Beckham posted 565 yards on those 27 receptions, so naturally, if his receptions increase, his yardage will too. He won't have to increase much over 2023 to trigger the $800,000 bonus. He would only need to increase his total by just over 100 yards from last season.

Touchdowns might be a little harder to achieve. Beckham isn't likely to be a go-to option in the red zone, and he isn't going to break a lot of big downfield plays. Miami still loves to run the ball when they are not feeding Hill and Waddle. Beckham will likely get lost inside the 30-yard line, so reaching the six touchdowns will be tough.

Regardless of what bonuses Beckham reaches, the more he does as a third receiver will only serve to benefit the Dolphins more, and the more options Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa have, the better chance they have of making the postseason.