How the Jaylen Waddle contract could affect negotiations for Courtland Sutton, Brandon Aiyuk

The Miami Dolphins accomplished a major offseason goal of theirs, inking Jaylen Waddle to a three-year extension. Sure, it was probably a bit more expensive than they would've wanted, but the Dolphins kept Waddle in their uniform, which is crucial.

While he's one of the highest-paid receivers in football right now, there's a good chance that by the time the offseason comes to a close, the contract will look a lot better as several high-end receivers are waiting for extensions of their own.

Guys like Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, and CeeDee Lamb will almost certainly get more guaranteed money than Waddle did, but Waddle's contract could impact receivers of the next tier like Brandon Aiyuk and Courtland Sutton in particular who are searching for extensions as well. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network sure thinks that is the case.

How Jaylen Waddle's contract can affect negotiations for Courtland Sutton, Brandon Aiyuk

The way that the NFL markets work is players wait for someone to sign and then use their contracts as benchmarks to try and earn more money. In this case, Garafolo believes there's a good chance that Sutton and Aiyuk will use Waddle's contract as leverage, which is not what teams like the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers would want.

In Sutton's case, he's set to make $13 million and is seeing Waddle get over double that amount. While Waddle is a better receiver than Sutton, he isn't worth double what Sutton is getting, so it's understandable that Sutton would have a case to demand more money. Now that Waddle got what he got, it wouldn't be shocking to see Sutton get something comparable.

As for Aiyuk, he's the best receiver of the trio. The 26-year-old had over 1,300 yards last season and scored seven touchdowns. Yes, his play dropped off a bit in the postseason, but he's proven to be a legitimate WR1 on a team that made it to the Super Bowl. He should get as much if not more than what Waddle got. Waddle getting what he got only validates his high asking price.