April 16, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
The Eagles have two elite wide receivers. Will DeVonta Smith go off in 2024?
DeVonta Smith's contract went from a looming decision over the horizon to checked off the list in an instant.
The Eagles began the week with confirmation that they would be exercising their star wide receiver's fifth-year option for 2025, then tack on an additional three years at a total value of up to $75 million to keep him in Midnight Green through 2028.
So that's Smith, A.J. Brown, Jalen Hurts, Landon Dickerson, and Jordan Mailata all locked in, and with Saquon Barkley joining the fray, too.
The draft is in a couple of weeks.
Until then, here's what they're saying about the Eagles and Smith's contract extension...
Between Hurts, two top wideouts in Smith and Brown, and the line, the Eagles have their offensive core fully secured.
Which means their window is open right now.
If a second-ever Super Bowl title for the franchise is going to happen, it has to happen within the next couple of years, says former Heisman winner and ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III:
The Philadelphia Eagles already have the best roster in the NFL and now they have TWO $25 Million WRs in AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. Jalen Hurts has to bring a Super Bowl to the city of brotherly love while this unbelievable core is in its prime.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 15, 2024
And on his own, Smith has been great. Two straight seasons of 1,000-plus yards receiving back that up. But at the same time, still at only 25 years old, he's only scratching the surface of how good he can really be.
Said NBC Sports Philadelphia's Dave Zangaro on the extension:
"He's a cornerstone of the franchise. He's homegrown talent at a position where the Eagles haven't had a ton of homegrown talent. So they wanted to make sure they kept DeVonta Smith in Philadelphia, and he's going to be here for a long time.
"The 10th overall pick in 2021, the Heisman Trophy winner. Maybe he hasn't even scratched the surface of what he can be in the NFL. With Kellen Moore coming to town as the new offensive coordinator, I think DeVonta Smith is one player who can really benefit the most, and I think we're kind of projecting with this contract a little bit.
"Has he been a $25 million per year layer so far? Maybe not, but there's a big belief inside that building and really in the city in general, that DeVonta Smith is that type of player. Now he's getting paid like it." [NBCSP / X]
"Maybe he hasn't even scratched the surface of what he can be in the NFL."
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 15, 2024
Dave Zangaro breaks down what DeVonta Smith's contract extension means for the Eagles ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/MobM2uCIXo
There weren't any holdouts, no talks turned sour, and no ill will.
With Smith, the Eagles had their guy, knew they wanted to keep him around for the long haul, and got something done before free agency even became a realistic thought.
The same went for Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mailata this offseason.
Which begs the question for analyst Ross Tucker: If it's that simple for the Eagles, then why do other teams keep falling into the trap of repeatedly kicking the can down the road?
"You have to love this if you're an Eagles fan. I don't know why other teams wait to do deals with guys, then it gets contentious, then you end up paying more. Think about the Cowboys with CeeDee Lamb. Think about what's going on with the Vikings, Justin Jefferson.
"If it's a player you know you want to have around for a long time, like Jordan Mailata, like DeVonta Smith, like Landon Dickerson, why would you wait? It only goes up. Now, if you think that maybe their performance will go down? Unlikely, but possible. Is there an injury risk that you're taking on a little bit now? Yeah, probably. But by the time that extension happens, they'll probably be healed and better and ready to go even if they did get injured this year or next year.
"Absolutely love the way the Eagles take care of their guys and avoid the contract situations that plague so many other franchises." [Ross Tucker / X]
Eagles are arguably the best contract & cap management team in the league.
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) April 15, 2024
Devonta Smith contract extension the latest example of why.
Ross Report™️ presented by https://t.co/jksF2hwPUv pic.twitter.com/Eh0HJv2REa
NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal had similar sentiments on the Eagles' approach to contracts compared to other teams:
teams like the Eagles get their guys done a year early (Mailata, Dickerson and now DeVonta) while teams like the Cowboys and Jags wait until the day the assignment is due https://t.co/reph3QHsq9
— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) April 15, 2024
And hey, by the way, how are the Cowboys doing with CeeDee Lamb's contra–Oh...
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb isn’t expected to attend the start of Dallas’ voluntary off-season program Monday while he awaits a new contract to replace the one scheduled to pay him a fully-guaranteed $17.199 million for his upcoming fifth-year option season. pic.twitter.com/68lOV8I5sv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 15, 2024
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