The Philadelphia Eagles have a decision to make on wide receiver DeVonta Smith this offseason.
The Eagles must decide by May 2 whether to exercise their option for a fifth year on Smith’s four-year, $20.141 million rookie contract.
If Philadelphia picks up its option, it will guarantee Smith a payday of an estimated $15.037 million for the 2025 season. If the Eagles don’t use their option, the former Alabama All-American would be headed toward free agency after the 2024 season.
But Philadelphia has another avenue to keep Smith out of free agency after next season. Because he’s played three seasons, Smith is eligible for a contract extension.
“It’s all in God’s hands,” Smith told EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “At the end of the day, extension or not, I’m going to have to come in and do what I have to do. It’s God’s timing, so he’s going to put me in the right place at the right time.”
Smith had 81 receptions for 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 regular-season games in 2023, then caught eight passes for 148 yards in Philadelphia’s 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the NFC playoffs.
After capturing the NFC championship last season, the Eagles won 10 of their first 11 games in 2023. But Philadelphia won only once more for the remainder of the season.
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Since the slide, the Eagles have replaced their offensive and defensive coordinators. Kellen Moore has come aboard as the offensive coordinator after serving in that role with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023 and with the Dallas Cowboys the four seasons before that.
“He called me,” Smith said about Moore. “He introduced himself to me, and we talked football a little bit, just talking about what to expect and what he’s going to try to do with me. He seems like a good guy, doesn’t seem like a big rah-rah guy, but he seems like he knows what he’s doing, he understands what’s going on. He’s going to get the best out of his players.”
Before Moore was hired, Smith said his advice for Philadelphia’s next offensive coordinator would be: “Just let us do what we do. Like anybody else would say, just give us the ball.”
Since joining the Eagles as the 10th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Smith has 240 receptions for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns in 50 regular-season games. He also has 27 receptions for 405 yards and one touchdown in five postseason games.
Smith has more receptions and more receiving yards than any other Philadelphia player has compiled in his first three seasons in the NFL.
Smith surpassed the 225 receptions that former Madison Academy standout Jordan Matthews made for the Eagles from 2014 through 2016 and the 3,124 receiving yards that DeSean Jackson had for Philadelphia from 2008 through 2010.
Smith won the 2020 Heisman Trophy as a member of Alabama’s undefeated CFP national-championship team. Smith established SEC single-season records for receiving yards and touchdown receptions and became the conference’s career leader in receiving yards and touchdown receptions.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.