Eagles Rumors: DeVonta Smith 'Willing to Stay Patient' During Contract Talks

Wide receiver DeVonta Smith "has been willing to stay patient" during ongoing extension talks with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

That's in part because of "all of the big-money WR deals that could come down the pipe soon," Fowler reported.

Smith is owed a base salary of $1.055 million next season in the final year of his rookie contract.

He has a $15.59 million option available for 2025, per Spotrac. The Eagles have until May 2 to decide whether to exercise the option.

After posting at least 1,000 receiving yards for the second consecutive season in 2023, Smith is now hoping to cash in on rising salaries for wide receivers.

ESPN's Tim McManus reported Wednesday that Smith "is a strong candidate to sign the next big contract extension with the Eagles."

"Contract talks are ongoing, sources familiar with negotiations said, and there's general optimism that a deal will materialize in the near future," McManus wrote.

McManus said it "would be not surprise" if those talks led to Smith earning an annual average salary in the range of $25 million.

The Eagles' A.J. Brown and Los Angeles Rams' Cooper Kupp recently joined the Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill and Las Vegas Raiders' Davante Adams as the only $25 million-plus wide receivers in the NFL.

Smith isn't the only receiver who could be about to join their ranks.

Other star targets including the Detroit Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown, Dallas Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb and Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson will be up for extensions in the near future.

According to Fowler, waiting on these high-profile receivers to sign could be part of the reason Smith has been "patient" in negotiations.