DeVonta Smith only needed two years in the NFL to put his name into the conversation of top wide receivers in the league. So what’s there to prove in year three?
“You want to definitely go out there and make myself more valuable. Raise the stock is what I say,” Smith told Fox News Digital on the way to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to continue a video shoot with VRST, the apparel brand exclusively offered at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Smith’s stock was already high after he broke the Philadelphia Eagles’ rookie receiving yards record with 916 on 64 receptions. He followed that up with 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns on 95 catches last season as the Eagles’ offense demolished most of its competition on the way to a Super Bowl appearance.
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Year three is generally the leap year for NFL players, who needed the first two to get fully acclimated to the league.
Not for Smith, though. He wasted no time in his rookie season.
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Instead, he wants to follow what his good friend and teammate, Jalen Hurts, experienced in his third season.
It’s a contract year.
“This is year three, that leap year, coming up on that contract year,” Smith said. “For me, I understand that.
“But, at the end of the day, I’m here playing the game, doing my job, doing the things I’m supposed to do. Everything else is going to take care of itself.”
Smith was happy for Hurts when he got paid this offseason. GM Howie Roseman gave Hurts a five-year, $255 million extension to show the franchise’s commitment to its quarterback after a tremendous third season.
Smith thought the same when fellow receiver A.J. Brown came to the Eagles and was given an extension on the spot. He was traded from the Tennessee Titans following his third season, and Roseman wasted no time giving him a four-year, $100 million extension, over half of which is guaranteed.
It’s hard not to want a long-term gig in Philadelphia right now. The Eagles are primed to make another Super Bowl run with a stacked roster heading into 2023, especially with Smith and Brown at receiver.
“I mean, I’ll always bet on us two,” Smith said with a wide grin.
“When he’s going crazy, I’m over there like, ‘I need to do the same thing. I can’t have him out there doing it by himself.’ I want to feel like I’m helping the team, too. So, that was something we always came across like, ‘Yeah, boy, it’s your day today. You’re gonna eat good today. I’m just out here cutting grass.’
“But it’s all fun and games. Lots of love on both sides, seeing each other go out there, doing the things we do. When you see one guy doing it, it just makes you want to do the same thing.”
Brown broke the Eagles’ single-season receiving yards record last season with 1,496 yards while scoring 11 touchdowns. Hurts is spreading the ball around to the point where two of his receivers are producing like No. 1 options, a scary thought for opponents.
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Smith’s relationship with Hurts is well documented. They both played at Alabama and developed their chemistry when Smith was drafted by Philly in the first round just one year after Hurts came in as a third-round pick to back up Carson Wentz.
Wanting to be the greatest they can be in the sport drives both receiver and quarterback on and off the field.
“I think that’s what brings us together a lot,” Smith explained. “We both want to be great, and we both will really do whatever it takes. We don’t want to waste the grind and hustle of this game. Take everything that comes with it.
“Just wanting to be as close to perfect as we can.”
That chase for perfection is why Smith still thinks about his final reception in the 2023 Super Bowl, when he caught a deep pass from Hurts and couldn’t keep his balance to get into the end zone, falling out of bounds at the 1-yard line.
“If I went ahead and scored, we would’ve had more time when we had the ball on the last possession to go do some things that we needed to do,” Smith said, recalling the loss to the Chiefs.
While Smith thinks about that tough result, he was still able to total 100 yards in his first career Super Bowl. But it’s nothing new for someone who has been in national and state championship games dating back to his high school football days.
That pedigree and production is something the Eagles know they need long-term, even if Brown is there. And though Smith still has three years of team control — the Eagles can exercise his fifth-year option because he was a first-round pick — he’s confident that an even better third year could land him the long-term deal his teammates received in the same situation.
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Smith said he doesn’t keep track of stats or accolades because, when asked what drives him on the football field, the answer was very simple.
“Having fun, man,” he said quickly. “The day you stop having fun, you need to be done. Just going out there having fun, enjoying it while I can because the minute the joy is gone, you have to walk away.”
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni told Smith and the rest of his teammates to come into training camp in shape, and Smith’s early morning workouts are helping with practices starting soon.
During those workouts, Smith loves the comfort VRST offers, whether he’s rocking the Icon Tee-All In Shorts combo or bringing the Limitless jogger into the gym or on the field.
“The Icon Tee, the material on it is very smooth — breathable — something that’s not too hot when you start sweating. It’s very good for you. The All In shorts, the Limitless jogger and then this new piece coming out, the Pinnacle Fleece. It’s going to be real good.”
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