Odell Beckham Jr. said in October that a $100 million NFL contract is not enough to sustain a player in his lifetime.The former New York Giants wide receiver explained that it could be gone faster than expected. He specified players without inherited wealth, as taxes, expenses and helping family take a big bite out of the paycheck.Reactions came fast, with critics saying he's likely living beyond his paycheck. However, ex-NBA star Carmelo Anthony stepped in on Monday and defended the one-time Super Bowl champion. He stressed that even huge contracts aren’t always enough to guarantee long-term financial stability for pro athletes.“That’s $100 million, but it’s not really $100 million over a five-year span,” Anthony said, via the "7 PM in Brooklyn" podcast.“Like you talking about taking 58% to 60% or 48%, half your check, right? So that 10 goes to five over five years. Now, within that five, you've got other taxes that you've gotta pay. You've got taxes alone that's gonna hit you, boom, you can't do nothing about that”The average fan sees a headline of a $10 million contract and assumes that’s all take-home money, according to Anthony. However, nearly half gets taxed, leaving the player with about $5 million before spending a dime.“Then you've got to live," Anthony said. "You've got to get a house. You’re going to take care of your mom. You got your agency fee, right? So you got all of this s**t that’s happening within that $5 million. That’s the gray area that f**ks a lot of athletes up."Because they sit in this space of transitioning from having this to now, they have to budget on a day-to-day basis. I got to budget how I’m going to pay my mortgage. I got a budget on how I’m going to pay for my car. Now, I got a budget for food. Like, it’s a lot of s**t that you almost got to come back to reality now.”Odell Beckham Jr. signed big contracts during his NFL careerOdell Beckham Jr. entered the NFL in 2014 as a first-round pick of the New York Giants, signing a four-year, $10.4 million contract. He inked his biggest deal four years later: a five-year, $95 million contract with the franchise.Beckham's earnings weren’t limited to his NFL deals. He landed a five-year, $29 million contract with Nike, one of the biggest shoe endorsements ever for an NFL player. The wide receiver also secured deals with Lenovo, EA Sports, Head & Shoulders, Dunkin’, Foot Locker and Steiner Sports, paying him over $20 million.Beckham, who also played for the Cleveland Browns, LA Rams, Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins, has not retired. However, he hasn’t been signed by any team since his stint with the Dolphins in 2024.