PHILADELPHIA — Receiver DeVonta Smith is a strong candidate to sign the next big contract extension with the Eagles.
The front office has been busy this offseason locking core players into long-term deals. Offensive linemen have been the primary beneficiaries to this point. Guard Landon Dickerson signed a record-breaking four-year, $84 million extension in March and tackle Jordan Mailata followed by inking a three-year, $66 million contract earlier this month.
The focus now shifts to one of their most important skill position players. The Eagles are making efforts behind the scenes to get something done with 25-year-old Smith. Contract talks are ongoing, sources familiar with negotiations said, and there’s general optimism that a deal will materialize in the near future.
“DeVonta is an incredible person, incredible player; obviously homegrown, young guy,” general manager Howie Roseman said at the scouting combine in February, when asked how big of a priority it was to sign Smith to an extension this offseason. “Without getting into specifics, those are guys you don’t really want to leave.”
Smith, the 10th overall pick in the 2020 draft, has racked up 240 catches for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns over three seasons with the Eagles. The former Heisman Trophy winner set the team rookie record for receiving yards (916) in 2021, surpassing a mark previously held by DeSean Jackson, and established a new high for single-season receptions (95) in ’22. He eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving for a second consecutive year in 2023.
Known as a big-game player dating back to his days at Alabama, Smith has saved some of his best work for the postseason. He had eight grabs for 148 yards in January’s wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and became the third Eagles player with 100-plus receiving yards in a Super Bowl with his seven-catch, 100-yard performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
The two sides aren’t working against any kind of imminent deadline here. Smith is under contract through 2024 at a base salary of just over $1 million. And the Eagles have until May 2 to exercise the fifth-year option on Smith’s rookie deal, which would come in around $16 million for the 2025 season, according to OverTheCap.
