Another NFL wide receiver earned a massive contract on Thursday, but many were surprised to see who it was this time.
Miami Dolphins wideout Jaylen Waddle agreed to a three-year, $84.75 million contract extension that includes $76 million guaranteed, which makes him one of the NFL’s top five highest-paid receivers, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
While Waddle is a special talent, there is a slew of top-flight receivers who are expected to land contract extensions from their respective teams this offseason including Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Brandon Aiyuk.
Waddle joins Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Nico Collins and a long list of other receivers who have already locked up extensions over the past few months. However, his deal raises more questions about the delays for the other wideouts awaiting their paydays.
Jefferson, Lamb, Chase, Higgins and Aiyuk were all subjected to the wrath of fans on social media who couldn’t help but troll them in the wake of Waddle’s contract extension:
It’s clear that the wideouts are all waiting to see who sets the market so they can exceed it, but the clock is ticking. Many of them have skipped the start of voluntary team workouts while they wait for their deals, and they would risk being fined if they skipped their respective teams’ mandatory minicamps.
In some cases, there has been minimal progress on contract discussions. Higgins reportedly hasn’t had negotiations with the Cincinnati Bengals in over a year. Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys reportedly also haven’t spoken in quite some time.
The market is booming for wide receivers, so Jefferson, Lamb, Chase, Higgins and Aiyuk likely will not budge until they receive an offer that breaks the bank.