A recent report indicated the Eagles were nearing an agreement with DeVonta Smith, and the parties have indeed worked out an extension. The fourth-year receiver has a lucrative second contract in place.
Smith has landed a three-year, $75MM extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. He adds that the pact – which the team has since announced – includes $51MM guaranteed. Smith will now be under contract through 2028 as a result of this agreement, the first agreed to with a former first-rounder still under team control for two more years.
This deal includes $38.1MM guaranteed at signing, with Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio indicating the Eagles are giving Smith a $20.4MM signing bonus and guaranteeing his 2024 and ’25 base salaries ($1.1MM, $1.2MM). A 2025 option bonus worth $11.4MM represents the other chunk of the at-signing sum. The Eagles are also sweetening the pot via a year-out guarantee for 2026. Smith’s 2026 base ($13.3MM) becomes fully guaranteed in March 2025, per Florio, giving the slender wideout a practical guarantee of $51.4MM.
The 25-year-old’s fifth-year option (valued at $15.59MM) has been exercised, Rapoport notes. That comes as no surprise, but the fact that decision would have left the Eagles with plenty of time to negotiate meant the team did not face much urgency with respect to hammering out an agreement. In spite of that, optimism was high as of last week that a pact could be worked out in short order. That has proven to be the case, and a key member of Philadelphia’s offense is now on the books for the foreseeable future.
The Eagles, of course, have a number of lucrative deals already in place on offense. That group (which features the likes of quarterback Jalen Hurts, guard Landon Dickerson and left tackle Jordan Mailata) also includes wideout A.J. Brown. The latter has operated as Philadelphia’s No. 1 wideout since his arrival, which was accompanied by a four-year, $100MM deal. Smith’s extension carries an identical annual average value – and, when factoring in the fifth-year option, he is in line to receive just over $90MM from 2025-28.
While Smith has not matched Brown’s production to date, the former Heisman winner has been a key cog in the Eagles’ passing attack. He also profiles as one of the ascending receivers due to land massive extensions in the immediate future, and Philadelphia has gotten ahead of teams like the Vikings (Justin Jefferson), Cowboys (CeeDee Lamb), Bengals (Tee Higgins) and 49ers (Brandon Aiyuk) in working out the next big-money deal at the position. For now, Smith will move into a tie for fourth in the league in terms of AAV amongst receivers. Each of the other four pass-catchers are due new deals soon, though, and they could surpass that figure as the cap continues to rise.
Smith had a strong season as a rookie, recording 916 yards and five touchdowns. Brown’s arrival did not lead to a drop-off in production for the Alabama product; rather, Smith has taken a step forward with 95- and 81-catch campaigns over the past two years. He has posted over 1,000 yards in both cases, scoring seven touchdowns each time. After facing concerns about his frame entering the league, Smith has missed just one game to date.
The 2024 season will see Kellen Moore take over as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator. Philadelphia’s offense took a step back during the team’s late-season collapse, and a rebound in efficiency would help avoid a repeat of those struggles. Smith will be a central figure in that effort, and his ability to remain a productive complement to Brown will go a long way in determining the effectiveness of this lucrative commitment.
Schmoney dance!!!
I LOVE IT! Smitty!!
I don’t always have praise for Howie Roseman but he’s made some solid moves this offseason and this extension of Smith is just another good piece of business. With a strong draft the Eagles could easily be contending for a title again.
Hurts has been exposed. Stack the box and watch him squirm.
With a decent offensive mind, the plays can be made to Hurts’ strengths. More motion and more exotic personnel packages will go a long way. I don’t think last year was a true representations Hurts’ abilities, given the OC and Hurts’ injuries.
Hurts hurting. Stack the box next season and see wat happens wink.
Teams did by the end of last season, when he threw 15 picks and fumbled 9 times. If they can’t replicate the tush pound without Kelce, they’re in serious trouble. We’ll have to see.
It doesn’t take a season and a half to “expose” a QB.
Objectively, Hurts doesn’t create or call schemes. The play calling got sufficiently redundant & predictable enough for DC’s to neutralize the Eagles’ after-the-snap options and essentially slow them down
As outstanding as he was, Kelce wasn’t the only reason for the success of the push. Everyone had to execute their role perfectly or the entire play fails … like Spartan Phalanx
That FO are geniuses when it comes to cap management I don’t know how they do it.
My reservations concerning Howie are mostly about his willingness to assume dead cap. The Eagles ranked 4th in 2022, 5th last season and are currently 8th on that list.
I think that the only way to mitigate it is to draft well. I think that’s necessary anyway to remain competitive. As long as the dead cap stuff is the norm I think you can manage it as long as it’s not the QB you’re cutting.