Eagles' DeVonta Smith A Contract Bargain As Receivers' Salaries Skyrocket
The Philadelphia Eagles have created a legacy in many ways, including for being an organization often willing to pay its young stars on the come.
Philadelphia's philosophy focuses on extending players before they have to, which can be a dice roll but can also allow them to remain flexible in building their roster with long-term saving of elbow room under the cap.
Extensions to stars like A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts have allowed the Eagles to remain among the more dominant teams in the league.
Along the way, as time passes, those contracts – so eye-popping when initially announced – move from being massive and lucrative long-term commitments to being relative bargains.
That is, if the team is right about the player's star potential.
It's a game of "Keeping Up with the Joneses,'' in a sense; the NFL offseason always features the paying of the next great player a bit more than the highest-paid star the year before.
A great example of how this has worked for the Eagles comes not just from an All-Pro like Brown (making $32 million APY) but also from his running mate, DeVonta Smith.
Smith's current contract pales in comparison to the latest receiver to sign a long-term extension. New York Jets wideout Garrett Wilson signed a four-year extension Monday afternoon worth an average annual salary of $32.5 million.
Wilson became the fifth-highest-paid receiver in the game with his contract. And relative to his contract? The Eagles figure to be appreciative of Smith than ever better.
The Heisman Trophy winner Smith was a first-round pick by the team back in 2021 and has enjoyed the best start to a receiver in team history. He has recorded over 300 receptions with over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. Following the 2023 season, Smith signed a three-year extension worth just $75 million.
The average annual salary of just $25 million may have been a milestone mark a few years ago, but that changed quickly in just the last calendar season. Suddenly, his contract ranks at just 13th in the league.
With Wilson's extension, the deal highlights some of the players now at his position who produce similar numbers but cost millions less.
Smith is that player for the Eagles.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
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