At nearly 27 years old, DeVonta Smith has already built a notable football career. Starting as a freshman at Alabama, he caught the winning touchdown in the National Championship game and later became the first wide receiver in almost three decades to win the Heisman Trophy. After joining the Philadelphia Eagles as a top-10 draft pick, Smith broke the team’s rookie receiving record and contributed an important touchdown during their Super Bowl victory.
Despite his achievements, Smith says his motivation comes from within rather than external factors. “I don’t have a clear-cut answer for you, honestly,” Smith said about what motivates him. “I just feel like right now, I never short myself. Do I have a true motivational thing that’s making me go out there? No, not really. [My] family is taken care of, everybody is good. I just never short myself. When I’m on the field, I’m always giving my everything because I never short myself for these guys that’s in here with me.”
Smith still has goals he wants to reach in his NFL career: earning Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors. “That’s my goal,” he said.
Through nine games this season, Smith has recorded 657 receiving yards and is on pace to surpass his previous best of 1,196 yards set in 2022. His standout performance against the Minnesota Vikings included 183 yards and a touchdown that helped end a two-game losing streak for the Eagles.
Smith monitors his statistics but insists they do not affect how he plays each week. “I’m being honest, every week I do,” Smith said about looking at his numbers. “That’s the purpose of setting goals. You set goals for a reason. So to know where you’re at with your goals, you have to look at that. I mean, everybody’s different. Some people don’t look at it. I look at it. Does it change the way I play or the way I think about things? No, not at all, but I definitely look at it.”
He emphasizes that individual recognition is secondary to team success: “You have to look yourself in the mirror and think about it at the end of the day, the team’s success, that’s the biggest thing,” Smith said. “Individual things will come, but just keep being patient. Because you never know, you might have a down week one week, then you might have a game where you just explode the next. You have to kind of take it for what it is and be willing to push forward.”
With teammates like A.J. Brown, Saquon Barkley and Dallas Goedert also playing key roles on offense this season—each recognized among top players at their positions—Smith knows opportunities may vary from game to game.
“You’re going to have your days,” Smith said.” You’re going to have your days where you’re not going to get the touches you want.You’re going to have those days where you’re going to get a lot.So that’s why I say you have to make the most of every opportunity.”
— Written by Matt Ryan
