Former Eagles president claims DeVonta Smith's agents failed to do WR justice with $75,000,000 contract
Wide receiver DeVonta Smith signed a three-year contract extension worth $75 million in April 2024. Since then, Jaylen Waddle, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Justin Jefferson have all signed even bigger deals.
Joe Banner, who was president and CEO of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2001 until 2012 is calling out Smith's contract. On Monday morning after Jefferson's deal was announced, Banner shared his thoughts on X. He said that while Smith's extension proves he wants to stay with the team, it's better for the team than it is for him:
"It’s like people don’t notice when talking about Smith. All these players signed with their own teams and were happy where they were. They all did 3-4 year deals. He just got a bad deal for him, and good for the team."
Later in the day he went on to clarify his thoughts and said that he believed his comments may have been 'harsh.' However, he didn't back down and went on to say that he believed DeVonta Smith's agents missed out on an opportunity to get their client more money.
"I think my comments about Devanta’s deal were too harsh. He has good agents but I think they missed on this deal. Waddle and St Brown should not be making 13% more and that’s over 3M per year. All of these players resigned with their own teams and took no additional risks."
Banner stood on his opinion that DeVonta Smith should make more than Jaylen Waddle and Amon-Ra St. Brown. He also said that if he was still with the Eagles, he would have made sure Smith received a bigger payday.
Where does DeVonta Smith's contract rank among the NFL's highest?
The Philadelphia Eagles drafted wide receiver DeVonta Snith with the 10th overall selection in 2021. The Heisman Trophy winner signed a four-year deal worth $20.1 million and after just three NFL seasons, the Eagles locked up their wide receiver for an additional three years with an extension in April 2024.
The three-year, $75 million contract will pay Smith $25 million a season. With the recent market for wide receivers continuing to grow this offseason, Smith's contract ranks eighth among the highest paid in the NFL.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson will make $35 million, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. The second-highest-paid wide receiver is DeVonta Smith's Eagles' teammate, A.J. Brown, who will make $32 million due to his latest contract extension worth $96 million. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle round out the top five.