Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith on potential contract extension this offseason: ‘It’s all in God’s hands’

LAS VEGAS — The overarching theme of DeVonta Smith’s offseason so far has been patience.

The Eagles wide receiver, eligible for a contract extension this spring, said he isn’t in a hurry to hammer out details for a new deal in the same way he isn’t rushing back to offseason training like he did during his first two years in the NFL.

“It’s all in God’s hands,” Smith told The Inquirer on Thursday. “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.”

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Smith had 81 catches for 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns this season, finishing consecutive campaigns with more than 1,000 receiving yards and seven scores. Among the receivers in his draft class, the 2021 first-round pick ranks fourth in catches and receiving yards behind fellow first-round receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle as well as fourth-round pick Amon-Ra St. Brown. Smith’s 19 career touchdowns rank third, edging Waddle by one.

Assuming the Eagles exercise Smith’s fifth-year option before the deadline in May, the 25-year-old won’t hit free agency until 2025. According to overthecap.com, Smith’s fifth-year option will count toward the cap for about $15 million in 2025. The Eagles already have Smith’s fellow receiver A.J. Brown under contract through 2026 with an average annual salary of around $25 million.

Still, the rapidly rising market for receivers as productive as Smith in the last few years would suggest the price is only increasing at the position, especially considering possible deals coming for Chase, Waddle, and Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson. Jefferson is entering the final year of his rookie contract with the chance to reset the already-inflated market for wideouts at some point.

While he may not be pushing to sign a deal quickly, Smith noted that he has developed an appreciation for the Eagles’ fan base Thursday before making the rounds at Radio Row in the lead-up to Super Bowl LVIII as part of the NFL’s partnership with Toyota.

“It’s been amazing. I love playing in Philly,” Smith said. “I don’t think there’s a better sports city in the U.S. I think Philly is top-tier. Any sport, they’re dialed in, that’s what I love about it. I love that we all support each other. Basketball comes to football, football comes to basketball and baseball, we all support each other.”

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Smith, who missed the first and only game of his career this season because of a knee injury last month, said his offseason training program will be focused more on rest than in years past. The Amite City, La., native typically trains in Tampa, Fla., and has developed a habit of early-morning workout sessions.

He’ll eventually get back into the regimen, but has eased the urgency.

“It’s a lot more laid-back,” Smith said. “My first year, it was like, ‘I have to do this, I have to do that,’ but you really have time. So it’s more laid-back, relaxing, letting the body heal. But when it’s time to get back to it, it’s business.”

Now removed from the Eagles’ late-season collapse, Smith said the major takeaway was that the team has to “find a way to stop the bleeding.” The Eagles finished the season on a 1-6 skid with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers knocking them out of the playoffs and leading to widespread coaching changes.

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Smith and the rest of the Eagles offense will have to learn a new system ushered in by Kellen Moore, who was announced as the team’s next offensive coordinator earlier this week after head coach Nick Sirianni fired Brian Johnson. Smith said he’s touched base with Moore in a phone conversation to go over the former Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys coach’s vision.

“He called me,” Smith said. “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.”

Eagles slot receiver and return specialist Britain Covey, also on Radio Row on Thursday, said he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee at the start of the offseason.

The 26-year-old dealt with a quadriceps injury late in the season, something he said was a byproduct of his knee injury. Covey was one of the best returners in the NFL this season, leading the NFL in total punt return yards and finishing second in yards per punt return.

Covey, an undrafted free agent in 2022, is under contract through 2024. He saw a small uptick in offensive playing time in his second season, logging four catches for 42 yards after playing just 19 offensive snaps as a rookie.