Eagles Receiver Could Join Elite Company With Super Bowl LIX Homecoming Win

Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith grew up an hour from New Orleans and will try to become just fourth player to secure a hat trick of sorts.

Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA;Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) walks off the field after win against the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – DeVonta Smith is going home for Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles receiver grew up in Amite City, Louisiana, about an hour outside of New Orleans.

A handful of players rose to the NFL from the tiny town of Amite City, which had a population of less than 5,000 according to the 2010 census, but Smith is the most acclaimed of the bunch.

However, he never makes anything bigger than it is, so returning home to become a Super Bowl champ possibly, he said isn’t bigger than anything else.

"I don’t have to pay for flights, I don’t have to pay for rooms, and stuff," he said jokingly but added, "It means a lot not just because it’s back home, but this is the end goal to get to the Super Bowl but now going out there and making sure we finish the right way."

Smith has played in the Caesars Superdome once as a pro, once in college, and once in high school. He won as a pro earlier this year, when the Eagles beat the Saints, 15-12 in Week 4. He won in college with an unforgettable performance, making 12 catches for 215 yards in the 2021 national title game win over Ohio State and was named the game’s offensive MVP. He lost the state title game in high school by four points.

Smith, of course, went from Amite to the University of Alabama, where he won two national titles, including that win over Ohio State in his final collegiate game. He won the Heisman earlier that season, too, and the Eagles traded up to select him 10th overall just months after his title-game performance.

Only three players have won a national college title, a Heiman, and a Super Bowl championship. They are Charles Woodson, Tony Dorsett, and Marcus Allen. If Smith and his teammates find a way to stop the Chiefs from three-peating, he will join them.

Smith said it would be special to join that company, but, again, he’s not making it bigger than anything else.

“It means a lot, (but) not just because of that but because from spring, we were coming in for our OTAs, from training camp to now, it’s a lot of work that’s been put in and you see it’s paying off. Now just going out there and hoping we can finish this the right way.”

More NFL: When Did The Eagles Know They Could Make Super Bowl LIX?