Dolphins, WR Jaylen Waddle Agree to $84.75M Extension

The Miami Dolphins and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle agreed to a contract extension on Thursday that makes him one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL.

Waddle, 25, signed a three-year, $84.75 million contract extension, including $76 million guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is signed through the 2028 season

Waddle is now signed through the 2028 season. The deal was negotiated by Waddle's representatives at WME Football. Miami already exercised the fifth-year option in his rookie contract, which guaranteed him nearly $15.6 million for the 2025 season.

His $28.25 million average annual value of the new extension is the fourth highest in the NFL among wide receivers, while the guaranteed money ranks third behind A.J. Brown ($84 million) and Amon-Ra St. Brown ($77 million).

This just in: Miami and WR Jaylen Waddle reached agreement today on a three-year, $84.75 million contract extension that includes $76 million guaranteed, per sources. The deal makes Waddle one of the league’s top five highest-paid receivers.

WME Football negotiated and confirmed… pic.twitter.com/ePTd2j0Z50

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 30, 2024

Waddle, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound wideout, was selected sixth overall by the Dolphins in the 2021 draft out of Alabama. He's played alongside Tyreek Hill for the past two seasons.

The Texas native set a rookie record with 104 receptions and ended the season with 1,015 receiving yards. In 2022, he posted a career-best 1,356 yards in his first season under head coach Mike McDaniel.

Additionally, Waddle's 3,385 receiving yards rank 13th in the NFL since 2021, and he has recorded the 16th-most receiving yards of any player in their first three seasons.

Waddle recorded his third straight 1,000-yard season in 2023 despite missing three games

Last season, the star receiver also finished with his third straight 1,000-yard season despite missing three games. He became the first player in Dolphins history to record three consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards.

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in April that the team felt confident in reaching an extension with Waddle and reiterated that Miami had no interest in trading him.

“No, as I said in the middle of the season, I have no thoughts of trading Jaylen Waddle,” Grier said in February. “We want him here for a long time, and we think he's a big part of our now and our future here. He's a great person on and off the field, and we still think, as good as he is, he still has runway to keep getting better.”

The Dolphins are also expected to pursue contract extensions with Waddle's 2021 draft class teammates: quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, linebacker Jaelan Phillips, and safety Jevon Holland.

However, Grier has unfavorable odds of keeping this roster intact. Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips is owed $4.46 million in 2024, and he could make more in the future if he stays healthy next season. Hill's looming free agency has to be hot topic for the Dolphins' front office as well.