DeVonta Smith contract gives Dolphins Jaylen Waddle extension template
The Eagles have signed DeVonta Smith, a 2021 first-round receiver from Alabama, to a 3-year contract extension.
Smith's contract is worth 3-years, $75 million and includes $51 million guaranteed, according to reports.
Does this set the template for a Dolphins extensionfor Jaylen Waddle?
Yes.
In 2021, Smith was the 10th overall pick by the Eagles.
In 2021, Miami selected Waddle with the 6th overall pick.
Waddle is also a former Alabama wide receiver.
The Dolphins would have considered drafting either Waddle or Smith, though they preferred Waddle because of his pure speed, suddenness and explosiveness.
Both players have lived up the hype.
Miami has set a priority of extending quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on a deal that could come in around $50 million per season.
It's a coincidence that Tua, Waddle and Smith all played together at Alabama.
Time for Miami Dolphins to pay Jaylen Waddle is coming
Waddle, 25, is scheduled to make about $8.6 million in his fourth NFL season.
The Dolphins have a fifth-year option at about $15.6 million.
The Eagles will reportedly pay Smith the fifth-year option amount in 2025 and then the $25 million per season for the following three.
Another way to look at that is a new four year deal for about $90.6 million.
That's about $22.7 million per season.
Can Miami afford to pay Waddle, their #2 receiver, such a figure?
Well, when Miami let Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt, Andrew Van Ginkel, Raekwon Davis and DeShon Elliott all leave in free agency, and cut Xavien Howard and Jerome Baker, it was surely with this in mind.
Not only does Miami want to extend Tua, but they'll want to have the flexibility to extend Waddle and fellow young rising stars Jevon Holland and Jaelan Phillips.
How DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle compare
In three seasons, Waddle has 3,385 receiving yards, 18 touchdowns and 13.5 yards per reception.
In three seasons, Smith has 3,178 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13.2 yards per reception.
Tyreek Hill is the NFL's highest-paid receiver, at $30 million per season.
The $25 million per season on a three-year extension for Smith matches what A.J. Brown makes as the NFL's fourth-highest receiver.
The $22.7 million per season over four years that Smith will make puts him around the 9th-highest paid receiver in the league, just behind Calvin Ridley, yet another Alabama receiver.
There is every reason to believe Waddle's deal will be similar, if not ever-so-slightly higher.
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: DeVonta Smith contract sets framework for Dolphins' Jaylen Waddle deal
