How Waddle Earned His Extension

Deep diving into Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle's accomplishments in his first three NFL seasons

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) flips the ball in the air as he scores a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Oct. 29, 2023. / JIM RASSOL/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA

The Miami Dolphins and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle agreed to a lucrative contract extension Thursday morning, a nice reward for a tremendous start to an NFL career.

Drafted in 2021 with the sixth overall pick, Waddle is the latest in that wide receiver class to sign a big extension. Selected by Miami right after the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Ja’Marr Chase, Waddle was the second receiver to be called that year.

Waddle's collegiate teammate at Alabama, DeVonta Smith was drafted 10th by the Philadelphia Eagles, and they recently agreed on a three-year extension worth $75 million.

Also in the class was Nico Collins, selected in the third round 89th overall by the Houston Texans. Collins and the Texans agreed on a three-year, $72.75 million extension Tuesday.

The Detroit Lions’ fourth-round pick in 2021 at 112th overall was Amon-Ra St. Brown. Brown and the Lions agreed on a four-year, $120 million extension last week.

JAYLEN WADDLE'S IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS OVER THE PAST THREE SEASONS

As members of that 2021 class, Waddle, Chase, Smith, Collins and St. Brown forever will be connected and compared.

Out of these five, Waddle ranks third in receptions with 251. Also third among this group are his 3,385 yards and his 13.5 yards per reception average. He has 166 first downs, again third within these five, and second in catch percentage at 69.5%. His 18 touchdowns are fourth behind Chase’s 29, St. Brown’s 21 and Smith’s 19.

Chase and St. Brown are 1 or 2 in the main categories, while Waddle is right in the middle, ahead of Smith and Collins in most stats.

From a franchise standpoint, Waddle is the only player in team history to start a career with three straight 1,000-yard seasons, and just the ninth ever in the NFL. Waddle was also 2022’s yards per reception leader at 18.1.

Waddle broke the league’s single-season rookie record for receptions with 104 in 2021, passing Anquan Boldin’s 101. However, this was recently surpassed last season by the Los Angeles Rams’ surprise rookie, Puka Nacua. It's to be noted that Waddle played in 16 games in 2021, while Nacua played 17.

In his 47 games so far, Waddle already has amassed more receiving yards than Irving Fryar in his three years with Miami, as well as Oronde Gadsen in his six seasons.  

He ranks 13th overall in team history, and realistically could break into the Dolphins' top seven or eight in the category by the end of 2024 should he again hit in his average of 1,128.33 per season so far.

Waddle currently is 14th on Miami’s all-time list of receptions with his 251. From a touchdown standpoint, his 18 ranks 20th in team history.

Throughout his career, Waddle has improved with limiting his drops from his rookie year. After eight recorded drops as a rookie and seven in 2022, he cut that number to four last season.

Though he scored just four times in 2023, Waddle did have more receptions per game (5.1) than he did in 2022 (4.4). He also had a better catch percentage in 2023 with 69.2%, as opposed to 64.1% in 2022.

Waddle is fourth in Dolphins history with 5.3 receptions per game over his career, behind Brandon Marshall, Jarvis Landry and Hill. Waddle is third in career receiving yards per game with 72.0, with Marshall at number two at 74.3, and Hill leading with 106.3.

The Dolphins all-time leader in receptions is Mark Clayton with 550 and behind him is Mark Duper at 511. The pair flip-flop in career yardage with the Dolphins, as Duper is the leader at 8,869 to Clayton’s 8,643. Clayton is the Dolphins’ receiving touchdown career leader with 81, followed by Nat Moore’s 74.

Waddle has averaged 83.6 receptions per season in his three-year career, and using this trajectory could surpass Clayton around the middle of the 2027 season.

Waddle will build on his already impressive resume through at least the 2028 season should nothing unforeseen prevent it.

When it’s all said and done, he could challenge the all-time franchise records in several statistics should his career progress as his contract extension should indicate. 

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