Jaylen Waddle contract details, grade: Dolphins blockbuster extension puts pressure on Vikings, Justin Jefferson

The Miami Dolphins are a team built from their offense. Sure, there are some standout players on the defensive end, but the team is at its best when Tua Tagovailoa is slinging the football to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, their two best receivers.

Hill takes a majority of the spotlight, and for good reason, as he's arguably the best receiver in football, but part of why Hill has had so much success in his Dolphins tenure has to do with Waddle's ability to command some of the attention. If defenses only focus on Hill, Waddle will burn them, as we've seen throughout his career thus far.

The former first-round pick needed to get paid this offseason, and Chris Grier got it done, inking him to an extension on Wednesday. Not only was it an important deal for Miami to get done, but it puts even more pressure on the Minnesota Vikings and Justin Jefferson to get something done themselves.

Jaylen Waddle contract details: Dolphins pay receiver like the star he is

ESPN's Adam Schefter was first to break the news that Waddle had agreed to a three-year extension worth up to $84.75 million. $76 million of that is guaranteed. The guaranteed money is almost certainly what got this deal across the finish line. Waddle is now officially one of the five highest-paid receivers.

Waddle was taken with the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and has more than lived up to the hype he had coming out of Alabama. He's racked up 1,000+ yards in all three of his NFL seasons and was able to do so in 2023 despite being the clear second option behind Hill and missing three games due to injury. At just 25 years old, there's every reason to believe he's only going to continue racking up those yards.

Jaylen Waddle contract grade: Dolphins put more pressure on Justin Jefferson, Vikings

Is it an overpay? Yeah. Waddle is not one of the five best receivers in football, yet he got paid like one. However, any extension with a star receiver, and Waddle is that, will be an overpay with how contracts in the NFL work. The Dolphins kept it at three years, giving them a fairly quick out if it doesn't work out in their favor.

Waddle earning high-end money like this makes NFL fans wonder just what kind of extension Jefferson is going to get from the Vikings. We know it'll be substantially more, yet Waddle was paid as if he is one of the best receivers in the league. The pressure was already on, and it only builds from here now.

The Dolphins did well to ensure Waddle got paid before Jefferson and several other high-end weapons. What is one of the five highest-paid contracts for a receiver now likely won't be when the season kicks off very soon.

Dolphins contract grade: B+