Dolphins will pick up Jaylen Waddle’s contract option, GM says
The Miami Dolphins will pick up their option for a fifth season on the contract of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, general manager Chris Grier said on Tuesday.
The Dolphins obtained Waddle from Alabama with the sixth selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. Like all draft picks, Waddle signed a four-year contract, and like all first-round draft picks, his $27.086 million deal included a team option for a fifth season.
Miami has until May 2 to exercise its option and lock in Waddle for the 2025 season at a salary of $15.591 million.
The Dolphins also selected Miami (Fla.) pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips at No. 18 in the 2021 draft. Grier said Miami would use its fifth-year option on Phillips’ contract, too, which would set his 2025 salary at $13.251 million.
“We’re getting to that point,” Grier said about the fifth-year option decisions at a Tuesday press conference. “I would say we’ll end up picking it up on them. I’m comfortable saying that. There is no reason for me to sit here and lie to you guys and hide it, but yes.”
After joining Miami from Alabama’s 2020 undefeated CFP national-championship team, Waddle broke the NFL rookie record for receptions by catching 104 passes. In his second season, Waddle led the NFL with an average of 18.1 yards per reception in 2022.
Waddle recorded his third straight 1,000-yard receiving season in 2023, when he had 72 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns despite missing three full games and parts of others because of injuries.
With 251 receptions for 3,385 yards and 18 touchdowns, Waddle is the eighth player in NFL history to reach those numbers in those three stats in his first three seasons.
Because he’s played three seasons, Waddle also is eligible for a contract extension. If the Dolphins are interested in pursuing that, they might have gotten a blueprint on Monday when the Philadelphia Eagles signed wide receiver DeVonta Smith by adding three years and $75 million to his deal.
A Crimson Tide teammate of Waddle’s, Smith was picked at No. 10 in the 2021 NFL Draft. His career numbers are similar to Waddle’s at 240 receptions for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns.
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“Like I’ve always been, we don’t really talk publicly about things like that,” Grier said when asked if that was an option. “We’re aware of it. We are in a good spot with those guys, so I’ll just leave it at that.”
The old NFL adage about paying the quarterback, to protect the quarterback and to rush the quarterback doesn’t seem to hold up anymore as NFL teams allot their money under the salary cap.
“I think we’ve all seen it,” Grier said. “I think from everywhere from defensive tackles to wide receivers, obviously, the quarterback position, I think now it’s become more of a league of whoever your good players are are going to be pushing to get that amount of money. I think it’s exciting for the players. I think the one thing it shows is that teams will do that and take care of people.
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