DeVonta Smith will travel with the Philadelphia Eagles who will face the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 season opener in Brazil. That, however, doesn’t mean he looks forward to playing in the NFL’s first official game in South America.
There was a lot of buzz when the NFL released the 2024 schedule of games. Initially, football fans were slightly skeptical about teams flying to Brazil for a game but as time went by, they began to feel the excitement.
However, the narrative changed once again in the last couple of months. Rumors suggested that the league committee warned the two teams about safety issues. This got the players riled up a bit and only days before week 1 kickoff, DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown spoke with the media. They asked the two receivers about their plan, but Smith refrained from revealing much.
No comment. DeVonta Smith said.
AJ Brown’s view of the Packers game in Brazil
Brown, on the other hand, elaborated on the Eagles’ plans after touching down in Brazil. The star wideout revealed they recently organized a team meeting to discuss the safety rumors.
We had a meeting yesterday, and there were a whole bunch of ‘don’t dos,’ and so I’m just trying to go down there, win a football game, and come back home. That’s the best way I can put it. AJ Brown said.
They will treat it as any other regular-season game because, in the end, it’s their bread and butter.
This is not a vacation, this is a football game. Brown added.
Previously Packers running back Josh Jacobs disclosed about receiving information about the team’s dress code and safety issues in the neighborhood adjacent to the stadium. After hearing about it, fans began to question the NFL’s decision to play games in a different country in such circumstances.
DeVonta Smith needs to prove he’s worthy of his contract extension with the Eagles
During the height of the wide receivers bagging tons of money, the Eagles decided to cash in on DeVonta Smith. The Alabama graduate signed a three-year $75 million deal, $25 million annually. The numbers may not be in the same stratosphere as Brown’s $33 million but it’s still a lot of money for the 25-year-old.
It means a lot. Just for me and my family, the work that I've put in. The long days, the early days, it just paid off. DeVonta Smith said per Forbes.
Smith crossed 1000 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in consecutive years, establishing himself as the rightful #2 to Brown. The fourth-year receiver has learned a lot from the veteran and used them in his play.
He's [AJ Brown] helped me a lot. Two guys that have different play styles. Me being more of a finesse guy, him being more of a physical guy. He's definitely taught me a lot when it comes to playing with my hands, with me not being a big guy, but still playing physical. DeVonta Smith said.
With the offseason addition of Jahan Dotson from Washington, Smith can’t afford to slip up. However, he views the increased competition as a positive for the team. The Eagles will have their work cut out against a good Packers team that defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the last playoffs.
