Do You Realize What DeVonta Smith Did for the Eagles?

I am a pro-athlete kind of person. In a world of billionaires vs. millionaires, I’ll root for the millionaire who is actually playing the game. Take the money. That being said, there is a certain wonderful feeling that comes with an athlete taking a discount to either come to or stay in Philadelphia. That was one of the great things about Cliff Lee back in the day, the Yankees offered him more, but he wanted to come back to Philly. How come we never talk about DeVonta Smith then? You do realize what he did, right?

The 2021 NFL Draft

On April 15th, 2024, Devonta Smith and the Eagles came to an agreement on a 3/$75m extension that guaranteed $51m. Smith was coming off of his 3rd season in the league after the Eagles drafted him 10th overall (after some wonderful draft night shenanigans) in 2021. He was sharing WR duties with AJ Brown and had still produced back-to-back 1000-yard, 7 TD seasons without missing a single game. Needless to say, the Eagles wanted to get that extension done as soon as they could.

The deal made me flinch as soon as I saw it. Within the past month, Jerry Jeudy signed for 3/$52.5m and Calvin Ridley got 4/$92m. If those guys got those contracts, Smith really should have received a lot more. He was also the first of his class to sign an extension despite several others from the previous draft class still waiting on getting their deals. Being the first guy in your class to get paid is bad enough, but beating out the 4th years too means your contract becomes the floor for a lot of people. The same thing happened with Jalen Hurts the year before and it was about to happen to DeVonta Smith.

About a week after Smith signed for the same AAV as teammate AJ Brown, Brown got a 3/$96m extension. A month later, draftmate and former teammate Jaylen Waddle signed a 3/$84.75m extension with the Dolphins and things snowballed from there…

April 24, 2024 – Amon-Ra St. Brown signs for 4/$120m¹
May 28th, 2024 – Nico Collins signs for 3/$73m
June 3, 2024 – Justin Jefferson signs for 4/$140m
July 30, 2024 – DJ Moore signs for 4/$110m
August 3, 2024 – Tyreek Hill signs for 3/$90m
August 26, 2024 – CeeDee Lamb signs for 4/$136m
August 29, 2024 – Brandon Aiyuk signs for 4/$120m
March 9, 2025 – DK Metcalf signs for 4/$132m
March 17, 2025 – Tee Higgins signs for 4/$115m
March 17, 2025 – Ja’Marr Chase signs for 4/$161m
July 14, 2025 – Garrett Wilson signs for 4/$130m
July 28, 2025 – Courtland Sutton signs for 4/$92m
August 25, 2025 – Terry McLaurin signs for 3/$97m
September 7, 2025 – Jameson Williams signs for 3/$80m

I’m not saying Smith is better than all these guys. St. Brown, Jefferson, Lamb, and Chase were all chasing the top WR contract. However, the middle between great WR like Smith and the best of the best like that foursome began to shrink. Brandon Aiyuk, DK Metcalf, Tee Higgins, Garrett Wilson, and Terry McLaurin all end up with massive contracts that left Smith in the dust. They waited, held out, got vocal, and Metcalf was even traded; all the things Smith would never do.

The Eagles and Avoiding College Football Royalty

Since Smith was a 3rd year guy when he signed and a 1st round pick, he was under no pressure to sign an extension at all. Even just waiting an extra year probably would have nabbed him at least the Tee Higgins contract if not more. Instead, he handled his business as soon as possible and we never thought about it again. Smith and AJ Brown are the only ones on the above list with a Super Bowl ring, by the way.

It’s Even Better for the Eagles Than You Think

I hid something that makes this contract even more of a steal for the Eagles. Since the team had already picked up his 5th year option, the contract doesn’t technically start until this season, 2026. Kind of like how Jordan Davis’s contract was really a 4/$79m deal not the reported 3/$78m, Smith didn’t replace his 2 remaining contract years. They still come in at the league minimum. So, Smith didn’t really sign for 3/$75m, it was more like 5/$77m. That’s a $15m AAV rather than a $25m AAV.

Trading AJ Brown Doesn’t Make Sense

Because the deal was so stretched out, his cap hits are only $10m, $15m, and $20m coming up. This is also right around the time that the Eagles reupped AJ Brown even though they didn’t need to, taking him from a $25m AAV to $32m AAV. I don’t think AJ Brown is leaving this season, but as soon as he does, expect the Eagles to talk to Smith about another early extension to give him a raise before he becomes the #1 guy. If they can beat the next crop of extensions again, even better.

Contracts: Spotrac

Photo: Shaban Athuman, AP