Jaylen Waddle will eventually get a new contract and the longer Chris Grier waits, the more it will cos the team.
The Dolphins seem content to let Waddle wait out a contract extension and now, the pricetag may have just taken another jump. Chris Grier could have used the DeVonta Smith deal, a $75 million extension, as a blueprint to get a deal done quickly. Instead, he waited and now, the price may have gone up.
Amon-Ra St. Brown will be inking an extension with the Detroit Lions for a reported $120 million that comes with a $77 million guarantee. The deal will give St. Brown upwards of $30 million per season on the 4-year deal.
In Miami, the Dolphins seem to be dragging their feet with Jaylen Waddle who was drafted in the same class as St. Brown. The difference? St. Brown, who has two Pro Bowls under his belt and an All-Pro, was drafted in round 4 of the 2021 draft while Waddle was drafted 6th overall.
Grier now has two contracts in which to work out an extension with Waddle. Inevitably, a team is going to overpay for a receiver that will change the market. St. Brown's contract shouldn't be the ceiling for a Waddle deal and it surely isn't the floor either.
Miami, if they want to keep Waddle, would be smart to get a deal done soon before the prices continue to go up. If Miami waits until next season, the rising cap alone will push the salary higher. If I were Jaylen Waddle, I might want to wait out the season because it could be significant. If I were Chris Grier, I would have gotten the deal done shortly after Smith's deal was announced with Philadelphia.