Eagles Wisely Lock DeVonta Smith Up With Three-Year Extension

On Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles and DeVonta Smith agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract extension. The deal reportedly includes $51 million in guaranteed money and will keep the former Heisman Trophy winner in Philadelphia through the 2028 season. It was a brilliant move by the Eagles to lock in their young receiver before he gets even more expensive.

Smith just finished his third NFL season and already earned an updated deal. His 2023 stats weren't as good as his career-best campaign in 2022 but he still finished with 81 receptions for 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns. He added 148 yards on eight receptions in Philadelphia's playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During the Eagles 2022 NFC championship season, the 25-year-old finished with 95 catches for 1,196 yards and seven scores.

Along with AJ Brown, Smith gives the Eagles one of the NFL's best receiving duos. Brown is under contract through 2026 and quarterback Jalen Hurts is locked up through 2028. Those three are all under the age of 27 and are the backbone of everything Philadelphia does offensively. They should remain so well into the future. But that's not the only reason this was a savvy deal.

Smith is a Pro Bowl-caliber player but he hasn't had a truly elite season. Brown remains the team's top target, but that could change over the next two seasons. His contract has an out after the 2024 season that would only cost Philly a $15.4 million dead cap hit. After 2025, cutting or trading Brown would only cost the Eagles $8.7 million. Locking Smith up is a protection against having to let Brown go for injury or financial reasons.

Another reason this is a wise move has to do with the rising NFL salary cap. The cap jumped by around $30 million per team from 2023 to 2024, and is expected to rise big time again after next season. While that will give teams more room to work, that extra space will lead to players wanting more money. Inking Smith to a deal before receivers begin asking for bigger salaries is wise and probably had something to do with the Eagles making the move now.

Those are all future considerations, for the present, Hurts has Brown and Smith locked up so the three can continue to grow together. Add in Dallas Goedert, the additions of Saquon Barkley and DeVante Parker and contract extensions for Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mailata and the offense has gotten a solid boost this offseason.

The 2023 season didn't end the way the Eagles wanted, but they have made some really smart moves this offseason. Extending Smith is just the latest.