Nick Westbrook-Ikhine caught 9 touchdowns last year, and nobody seems to care. He signed with the Dolphins, but for deal averaging only $3.25 million.
Among receivers whose deals have shown up at Spotrac, 13 have salaries larger than the former Tennessee receiver. Tutu Atwell, Darius Slayton and Dyami Brown weren’t as productive last year but signed deals averaging over three times as much. Those guys are all making at least $10 million.
Demarcus Robinson and Noah Brown will make over $1 million more. Westbrook-Ikhine’s deal looks identical to Ashton Dulin’s, which seems out of whack. They’re just ahead of Khadarel Hodge, which has me thinking his agent didn’t do a great job.
| WIDE RECEIVERS WHO'VE SIGNED | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tm | Yrs | Average |
| Davante Adams | LAR | 2 | $22,000,000 |
| Cooper Kupp | Sea. | 3 | $15,000,000 |
| Darius Slayton | NYG | 3 | $12,000,000 |
| Tutu Atwell | LAR | 1 | $10,000,000 |
| Dyami Brown | Jac. | 1 | $10,000,000 |
| Josh Palmer | Buff. | 3 | $9,666,667 |
| Mike Williams | LAC | 1 | $6,000,000 |
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling | Sea. | 1 | $5,500,000 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | Balt. | 1 | $5,000,000 |
| Demarcus Robinson | S.F. | 2 | $4,750,000 |
| Noah Brown | Was. | 1 | $4,500,000 |
| Mack Hollins | N.E. | 2 | $4,200,000 |
| Tim Patrick | Det. | 1 | $4,000,000 |
| Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | Mia. | 2 | $3,250,000 |
| Ashton Dulin | Ind. | 2 | $3,250,000 |
| Trent Sherfield | Den. | 2 | $3,000,000 |
| Khadarel Hodge | Atl. | 2 | $2,750,000 |
| Sterling Shepard | T.B. | 1 | $2,500,000 |
| Tylan Wallace | Balt. | 1 | $2,100,000 |
| Braxton Berrios | Hou. | 1 | $1,800,000 |
| Van Jefferson | Ten. | 1 | $1,670,000 |
| Ihmir Smith-Marsette | NYG | 1 | $1,337,500 |
| Dante Pettis | N.O. | 1 | $1,337,500 |
| Jalen Reagor | LAC | 1 | $1,337,500 |
Admittedly, Westbrook-Ikhine is slow. He wasn’t even drafted coming into the league. He’s a plodder, and teams obviously weren’t interested in trying to work with that.
It’s an out-of-character signing for the Dolphins. In recent years, they’ve tended to go hard after speed – Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, DeVon Achane, Raheem Mostert, Jaylen Wright. Westbrook-Ikhine represents a 180 from those guys.
But at the same time, I would think that production would count for something. Westbrook-Ikhine put the ball in the end zone 9 times last year, including a 98-yard score against the Vikings. He’s the only player in the last nine years who’s caught 30-plus passes and scored on over a quarter of those receptions.
To find a player with 30-plus catches who finished with a better touchdown ratio, we have to go back 37 years, to Jerry Rice (in the strike-shortened 1987 season, which was I thought Rice’s best season).
I would have thought Westbrook-Ikhine would have generated more interest.
Since the merger in 1970, 33 players have caught at least 30 passes and scored on at least a quarter of them.
| QUARTERPOUNDER CLUB | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Rec | Yds | TD | TD% |
| 1985 | Daryl Turner, Sea. | 34 | 670 | 13 | 38.2% |
| 1987 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 65 | 1078 | 22 | 33.8% |
| 1974 | Isaac Curtis, Cin. | 30 | 633 | 10 | 33.3% |
| 1973 | Ron Shanklin, Pitt. | 30 | 711 | 10 | 33.3% |
| 1973 | Harold Jackson, LAR | 40 | 874 | 13 | 32.5% |
| 1977 | Steve Largent, Sea. | 33 | 643 | 10 | 30.3% |
| 1970 | Bob Hayes, Dall. | 34 | 889 | 10 | 29.4% |
| 1984 | Daryl Turner, Sea. | 35 | 715 | 10 | 28.6% |
| 2024 | Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Ten. | 32 | 497 | 9 | 28.1% |
| 2014 | Julius Thomas, Den. | 43 | 489 | 12 | 27.9% |
| 1979 | Stanley Morgan, N.E. | 44 | 1002 | 12 | 27.3% |
| 1977 | Henry Childs, N.O. | 33 | 518 | 9 | 27.3% |
| 1970 | Gary Garrison, S.D. | 44 | 1006 | 12 | 27.3% |
| 2004 | Randy Moss, Min. | 49 | 767 | 13 | 26.5% |
| 1978 | Billy Joe DuPree, Dall. | 34 | 509 | 9 | 26.5% |
| 2007 | Reggie Williams, Jac. | 38 | 629 | 10 | 26.3% |
| 1997 | James Jett, Oak. | 46 | 804 | 12 | 26.1% |
| 1976 | Cliff Branch, Oak. | 46 | 1111 | 12 | 26.1% |
| 1972 | Gene Washington, S.F. | 46 | 918 | 12 | 26.1% |
| 1995 | Chris Sanders, Hou. | 35 | 823 | 9 | 25.7% |
| 1972 | Rich Caster, NYJ | 39 | 833 | 10 | 25.6% |
| 1976 | Roger Carr, Balt. | 43 | 1112 | 11 | 25.6% |
| 1971 | Paul Warfield, Mia. | 43 | 996 | 11 | 25.6% |
| 1970 | Warren Wells, Oak. | 43 | 935 | 11 | 25.6% |
| 2015 | Tyler Eifert, Cin. | 52 | 615 | 13 | 25.0% |
| 2013 | Vernon Davis, S.F. | 52 | 850 | 13 | 25.0% |
| 2006 | Chris Henry, Cin. | 36 | 605 | 9 | 25.0% |
| 2001 | Bubba Franks, G.B. | 36 | 322 | 9 | 25.0% |
| 1996 | Keith Jackson, G.B. | 40 | 505 | 10 | 25.0% |
| 1984 | Freddie Solomon, S.F. | 40 | 737 | 10 | 25.0% |
| 1983 | Doug Marsh, St.L. | 32 | 421 | 8 | 25.0% |
| 1982 | Charlie Brown, Was. | 32 | 690 | 8 | 25.0% |
| 1979 | Isaac Curtis, Cin. | 32 | 605 | 8 | 25.0% |
—Ian Allan