Jaylen Waddle signs a MASSIVE contract
The Miami Dolphins have secured Jaylen Waddle's future with the team.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the wide receiver has agreed to a three-year, $84.75 million extension, which includes $76 million in guarantees.
At 25, Waddle now ranks among the NFL's top-five highest-paid receivers.
Hailing from Houston, Waddle was the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, selected from Alabama.
This past season, Waddle played in 14 games, recording 72 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns. He led the league in yards per reception in 2022, averaging 18.1 yards.
Over his three-year career, Waddle has amassed 251 catches for 3,385 yards and 18 touchdowns in 47 games. The extension represents smart planning and a well-earned reward for Waddle, who is clearly integral to the Dolphins' future. However, it does bring Tua Tagovailoa's contract situation into focus, as he enters the final year of his contract in 2024. Despite leading the NFL in passing yards in 2023, Tagovailoa's future with the team is not yet secure, possibly resulting in him playing the 2024 season on the fifth-year option in a prove-it scenario, making Waddle's extension somewhat awkward.
These contract negotiations are undoubtedly linked. A potential Tagovailoa extension or franchise tag will impact the salary cap a year before Waddle's new deal. Therefore, finalizing Waddle's contract now�during an offseason when seven wideouts have signed deals worth $23 million or more annually�prevents the Dolphins from having to negotiate after expected major extensions for Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase potentially push market prices even higher. And if Tagovailoa doesn't earn a lucrative extension�an unlikely but possible scenario�Miami will still have a top young receiver under contract.
While Tagovailoa has more to prove than Waddle, Waddle can aid his quarterback by continuing his stellar performance. After all, Waddle owes part of his success to Tagovailoa's passes. In Miami, everyone benefits.
| POLL | ||
30 MAI | 38 ANSWERS Jaylen Waddle signs a MASSIVE contract Do you think Tua Tagovailoa will earn a contract extension next season? | ||
| Yes | 21 | 55.3 % |
| No | 17 | 44.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
