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Marcel Louis Jacques, ESPN
MIAMI — The Dolphins agreed to a contract extension with Jaylen Wardle on Thursday, making him one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL.
The three-year, $84.75 million extension includes $76 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The average annual value of the extension is $28.25 million, the fourth-highest in the NFL among wide receivers, and the third-highest guaranteed value behind AJ Brown ($84 million) and Amon-Ra St. Brown ($77 million).
Waddle is now under contract through the 2028 season.
Despite playing alongside Tyreek Hill the past two seasons, Waddle’s 3,385 receiving yards rank 13th in the NFL since 2021, and he has the 16th most receiving yards of any player through his first three seasons.
The 2021 No. 6 overall pick set a rookie record with 104 receptions and followed up that campaign with a career-high 1,356 yards in 2022 in coach Mike McDaniel’s first season. Despite missing three games, Waddle recorded his third straight 1,000-yard season in 2023, becoming the first player in Dolphins history to have at least 1,000 receiving yards in three consecutive seasons.
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in April that the team felt good about Waddle’s extension. He scoffed at the idea that Miami should consider trading Waddle and reaffirmed the team’s commitment to keeping him long-term.
“No. As I said midway through the season, I have no intention of trading Jaylen Waddle.” Greer said in February. “We want him to be here for a long time and we think he’s a big part of our present and future here. He’s a great guy on and off the pitch and we still think he’s good but he still has runway to keep getting better. .”
Waddle is the second key player in the Dolphins’ rebuild in the past five years to sign a long-term extension with the team, joining 2020 first-round pick Austin Jackson. Miami will also seek contract extensions with Waddle’s draft classmates Jaelan Phillips and Jevon Holland, as well as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The contract extension was negotiated by Waddle’s representatives at WME Football.
