PHILADELPHIA — Broad receiver DeVonta Smith’s $75 million contract extension with the Eagles continues an organizational pattern: lock in core gamers as quickly as doable and keep away from the inevitable worth improve.
Smith’s new contract, introduced by the group on Monday, ties the receiver to Philly by the 2028 season. Phrases weren’t disclosed, however a supply instructed ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the contract ensures Smith $51 million.
In Smith, they safe a productive participant (2,262 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns previously two seasons) who has missed only one recreation attributable to damage since becoming a member of the Eagles because the tenth decide within the 2021 draft. He’s additionally rising as a pacesetter and tone-setter for a group that misplaced two pillars to retirement this offseason: heart Jason Kelce and defensive sort out Fletcher Cox.
Philadelphia now has two of the top-paid receivers within the recreation in Smith and A.J. Brown. How will the financials work? And with the addition of operating again Saquon Barkley, are there sufficient touches to go round to justify the contracts and maintain everybody completely satisfied?
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Listed here are three numbers to think about:
$175 million: The mixed worth of Smith and Brown’s contracts. The Eagles are the one group at the moment with two receivers ranked within the prime 10 in complete worth and common annual wage, per Spotrac.
Each have offers averaging $25 million per season, placing them behind solely Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins ($30 million), Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders ($28 million) and Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams ($26.7 million).
The one group with two huge receivers in 2024 making at the least $20 million in money worth was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, per ESPN Stats & Info. Whether or not the Eagles be a part of that group this season is determined by how Smith’s new cash is allotted.
$26.5 million: Brown’s projected cap quantity in 2025 — at the moment the very best on the group.
The financials are manageable in the intervening time regardless of the eye-popping numbers. Brown carries a cap variety of $12.2 million this season and Smith is on the books for $6.4 million, which should not escalate given Smith’s extension is for the 2026-28 seasons.
However Brown’s cap quantity greater than doubles subsequent yr whereas Smith, who can be enjoying on his fifth-year choice in ’25, is slated to make round $16 million.
With Jalen Hurts’ cap determine additionally rising considerably in 2025 (from $13.5 million to $21.8 million), the Eagles might be feeling the squeeze this time subsequent yr and not using a Brown contract restructure — or one thing extra dramatic.
77: The common variety of receiving targets for Barkley within the seasons during which he is performed at the least 13 video games.
Coach Nick Sirianni has made it clear that the offense runs by Smith, Brown and tight finish Dallas Goedert; that trio commanded 353 targets final season — a 67 % share.
However there’s now one other star talent participant to account for. Barkley’s receiving capability was a part of the rationale the Eagles went in opposition to their norm and paid the operating again a three-year, $37.75 million contract.
“It’s important to be an awesome passing assault operating again as effectively. For us it is acquired to be multifunctional,” CEO Jeffrey Lurie mentioned of Barkley in March. “And he exhibited a really particular talent set each within the operating and the passing recreation that we expect actually may be maximized by being on a group with higher talent positions, quarterback, offensive line.”
D’Andre Swift led all Eagles backs with 49 targets final yr. Kenneth Gainwell led in 2022 with simply 29 targets — the primary yr Brown and Smith have been paired collectively. Barkley had 60 targets in 13 video games final season. The 2 instances he performed 16 video games in a season — in 2018 and 2022 — he had 121 and 76 targets, respectively.
A projected three-down again, Barkley ought to get extra alternatives than his Eagles predecessors by the use of being on the sector extra. However how three extremely paid gamers in Smith, Brown and Barkley get fed within the offense this season can be price monitoring.
“What’s essential within the strategy of a season is that we construct the connection, we construct the group, so no matter how a lot they’re consuming, everybody is worked up for one another,” Sirianni mentioned.
