Eagles’ DeVonta Smith after signing contract extension: ‘The journey’s not over. It’s just starting.’

DeVonta Smith still remembers a weight lifting off his shoulders when the Eagles traded up to select him No. 10 overall in the 2021 draft.

All of those draft-night nerves subsided with his newfound opportunity to reunite with Jalen Hurts, his quarterback at Alabama for two seasons. Three years later, Smith will continue to snare passes from Hurts through 2028 — as the Eagles picked up the 25-year-old receiver’s fifth-year option on Monday and signed him to a three-year, $75 million contract extension.

“We’re always happy for each other,” Smith said Tuesday. “He called, congratulated me. With us, it’s always looking forward to the things to come. So, like I said, learning a new offense. Putting things together that we did very well last year with [new offensive coordinator] Kellen [Moore] and putting things [in] that he’s done very good last year. Put them together and try to get back, ultimately, to win a Super Bowl.”

In order to put the Eagles in a situation to be contenders for years to come, Howie Roseman has spent the last two offseasons extending core offensive players. That effort was headlined by Hurts, who signed a five-year, $255 million extension last April. Right tackle Lane Johnson also signed a one-year, $33.45 million extension in March 2023 to keep him with the Eagles through 2026.

Not only did the general manager ink Smith to a new deal this offseason, but he also extended left tackle Jordan Mailata and left guard Landon Dickerson through 2028, too. Now, nine of the Eagles’ offensive starters are under contract for the next two seasons. That sense of continuity, according to Smith, can contribute to the long-term success of the group.

“Being a team, it starts with your relationship with each other,” Smith said. “I think that’s a big part, having guys that have a good relationship with each other. Guys that are familiar with each other, so everybody is comfortable pushing each other to the limits that are uncomfortable.”

Part of that offensive core includes fellow receiver A.J. Brown, who has three years remaining on his contract. Since the Eagles acquired Brown in April 2022 from the Tennessee Titans, he and Smith have become a dynamic receiving tandem on the field and fast friends off it.

» READ MORE: How the Eagles’ A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith forged a complementary relationship on and off the field

Both players are competitive. Both players want to be involved in the passing game. Both players, as Smith said, want to be the “alpha.” Even so, Smith and Brown maintain a healthy relationship devoid of jealousy or spite. Their bond is rooted in an understanding of each other and the sacrifices they’ve made to play in the NFL.

“I think the relationship that we have has made us be able to take the games where we don’t have the big games and the other one does, be able to just be happy for each other,” Smith said. “It’s never a time that we’re sitting up there, we’re mad at each other, mad at anyone about not getting targets.

“I mean, let’s be realistic. Everybody wants to be a part of the game. Everybody wants to make that big play. You should be happy that you have a guy like that, because you have a lot of guys that when that time comes, they’ll shy away from the moment. You have a guy like him, you have a guy like me that we’re never going to shy away from the moment.”

When his new deal kicks in starting with the 2026 season, Smith will earn an average of $25 million per year. That average annual value ranks No. 4 in the league among wide receivers, tied with Brown. Only Tyreek Hill ($30 million), Davante Adams ($28 million), and Cooper Kupp ($26.7 million) will make more.

Still, Smith said he doesn’t feel a sense of validation in signing a contract that puts him in the same stratosphere as the league’s highest-paid receivers.

“I don’t seek validation from anyone,” Smith said. “I think me just going out here, doing what I do, has gotten me to this point. I would like to continue to do that. I’m going to continue to do that. So long as I’m happy, as long as my family’s happy, long I understand what God’s put me here to do, I’m going to continue to do that.”

With Year 4 approaching, Smith is looking to continue to get better, stating that “there’s no such thing as ‘You’ve reached your peak.’” Over the last two seasons, he has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards (1,196 in 2022, 1,066 in 2023) and posted seven touchdowns in each.

» READ MORE: ‘Time to level up’: Inside DeVonta Smith’s 5 a.m. workouts and how he embraces a future with the Eagles

Since Smith heard his name called on the draft stage back in 2021, he has put plenty of work into proving that he deserves to be a core member of the Eagles’ offense for years to come. With a new contract in hand, Smith expressed an appreciation of the effort it took to get to this point and an understanding that there’s more work to be done.

“It’s been a long journey,” he said. “The journey’s not over. It’s just starting. So it means a lot to me. It means a lot to my family.

“All the long nights, early mornings that I’ve been putting in the work to get to where I am and to get to this point. Feels good to see that it’s paying off.”