June 16, 2026
Bill Streicher/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Now that he's the unequivocal WR1, DeVonta Smith needs a new contract.
The Eagles have a new WR1, and this time, there's no 1a or 1b. There's nobody even close.
DeVonta Smith might already have been the best Eagles wide receiver in 2025, but there's no argument or debate that he is now after the team finally shipped A.J. Brown to the Patriots.
Brown and Smith have been the centerpieces of the Eagles' passing attack since they joined forces in 2022 and immediately propelled the Birds to the Super Bowl in their first season together.
But Brown's first two seasons with the Eagles were monstrous, record-setting seasons while Smith served as the trusty, reliable sidekick who delivered when defenses aimed to take Brown out.
If Brown was WR1, Smith was 1a.
But that's not the case in 2026. Smith is the top dog among a solid batch of Eagles wide receivers, but for the time being has no match unless first-round pick Makai Lemon turns into an overnight sensation.
So now it's time, again, to make sure Smith is paid like the No. 1 receiver and target monster that he's about to become, because unless he's injured or something goes horribly wrong with the offense, Smith is bound to set personal records for targets, receptions and receiving yards in 2026 as the focal point of new coordinator Sean Mannion's passing game.
So far, the Slim Reaper has averaged about 118 targets a season along with 82 receptions for 1,067 yards and seven touchdowns. Nobody would be shocked to see the former Heisman winner from Alabama see a major spike this season – something like 150+ targets, 100+ receptions and closer to 1,300+ yards, with around 10 touchdowns.
You know who had those kind of numbers in 2025? Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Lions wideout went 117-1,401-11 on 172 targets.
St. Brown is paid an annual average salary of $30 million, which currently puts the four-time Pro Bowler just inside the top 10 in wide receiver AAV, per overthecap.com.
What is the AAV on the three-year contract extension Smith signed in 2024? About 25 million per season, good for 19th highest among NFL wideouts, behind guys who haven't even outproduced him when he was 1b, like Alec Pierce ($28.5 million) for example.
But catching up Smith's salary to his expected 2026 production isn't the only reason the Eagles should rip up the current deal and give him a new one immediately.
It's also because Smith is entering the latter half of the extension he signed in 2024 that carries until 2028. The guaranteed money on the deal is dry after 2027, which means Smith really just has this year and next for security.
Extending Smith now would not only ensure that Smith will be the central figure in the Eagles' pass game for many more years to come but also would help the Eagles financially and give them future cap flexibility, which they will surely need as they're staring down contract extensions for Jalen Carter, potentially Moro Ojomo and, next offseason, for Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean and perhaps Jalyx Hunt.
They should also get Smith done now before the price tag at his position gets any higher, and it's already spiraling out of control.
Jaxson Smith-Ngiba just reset the market at $42 million annually. Drake London – a good receiver but someone whose career averages are closer to Reaper's – recently inked for $35 million AAV. Garrett Wilson, another receiver who's yearly receiving averages are closer to Smith's (pre-Brown trade), is at $32.5 million AAV.
Pierce, a one-trick deep threat, was the big prize-winner in free agency, cashing in at $28.5 million AAV despite going over 1,000 yards for the first time in 2025, with 1,003.
Whether from Dallas or from another team in free agency, Pickens will surely get north of $40 million next offseason to reset the market again, as long as he keeps his head on straight.
If not Pickens, then Puka Nacua or Malik Nabers. Maybe all three. Other receivers already eligible for an extension or will be in 2027 are Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, Zay Flowers, Jordan Addison, and Brian Thomas Jr.
Not all of them will sign market-resetting deals, but any one of them, or any combination of them, could thrive in 2026 to get in line for a massive pay day next season.
The Eagles understand the market and its trends as well as any NFL team, and while the Brown trade hurts them more immediately in the pocket book, it saves them plenty of cash in future seasons, as our Jimmy Kempski has written about several times.
It's cash the Eagles will need as they look to keep the core intact of a roster that has made the postseason in each of the past five seasons, including two Super Bowl runs.
The Reaper has come knocking. Time for Howie Roseman to open the door.
SIGN UP HERE to receive PhillyVoice's Sports newsletters.
Follow Geoff on Twitter/X: @geoffpmosher
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
