\u201cI mean, I don\u2019t have all the answers to being a father, but I think I do a pretty good job of being one,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI\u2019m doing things the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n Philadelphia Eagles WR DeVonta Smith, with oldest daughter Kyse in his lap, celebrates with his family after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX in February 2025. (Chris Graythen \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
When Kyse was born in September 2023, Smith celebrated by cradling a baby after a touchdown the next day. That was his public announcement.<\/p>\n
Privately, that also shifted his perspective. He\u2019s long been mature. That maturity was evident when he played at Alabama and it was also part of his scouting report with the Eagles. But in 2022, he realized \u201cit\u2019s no longer about me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about my family that I have, making sure that they\u2019re taken care of,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThey have everything they need. And I can lead them as a man in this family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith is a creature of his regimen. His alarm clock goes off at 5:15 on mornings when he does Pilates during the season. He\u2019s out the door at 5:30 a.m. and at the facility by 7 a.m. On days without Pilates, he\u2019s up at 5:45 a.m. and out of the house at 6 a.m. He\u2019ll FaceTime with Kyse before school and get extra work completed with the Eagles before the workday begins.<\/p>\n
Even going back to college, he never lifted weights after noon. His daughters gave him more purpose for what happens beyond work. Smith used to come home from practice and find solace in video games. He is still a gamer. There\u2019s something ahead of that hobby now. Those responsibilities helped him create a separation from his day job.<\/p>\n
\u201cI leave work at work,\u201d Smith said. \u201cTry not to bring work home, because I know at the end of the day, work is going good, bad, they\u2019re gonna see me for me. Not for the profession that I have. Two little girls, they see me as daddy. They see me. They don\u2019t care about the football. They care about me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith is accessible to Moorehead if there\u2019s film to watch or a concept to discuss. He had a sauna built for at-home recovery. But Smith is purposeful about the after-work hours. He likes fulfilling his post-practice media obligations on Fridays \u2014 not because he\u2019s waiting for the end-of-the-week news dump, but because the schedule ends earlier that day so he\u2019s not in the same rush leaving the building. He\u2019s even able to pick Kyse up at school. It still doesn\u2019t leave him as much time as he desires.<\/p>\n
\u201cOffseason is my time\u00a0\u2014 my time is to shine,\u201d Smith said.\u00a0 \u201cI got to do a lot in the offseason to make up for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kali is still developing her personality. But Smith already sees himself in Kyse. Even though he describes himself as a \u201csilly father\u201d who likes to \u201cplay around a lot,\u201d it comes from creating a place of comfort. His oldest daughter is no different.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019re comfortable, we play around,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIf we don\u2019t know you, we\u2019re kind of shy and be to ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their game of choice is hide-and-seek. Daughter hides, father seeks. They try to schedule an annual Disney World visit, and Disney is often on a screen at the house. That\u2019s why Smith was sick of music from \u201cMoana\u201d by December.<\/p>\n
Smith has an alarm set for an 8 p.m. bath time. Then, it\u2019s bedtime. He didn\u2019t make it sound as if it\u2019s negotiable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to that,\u201d he said, \u201cI\u2019m very detailed.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are times when Smith might be in a grumpier mood. The culprit is usually limited sleep the night before because of the kids. Covey and Smith have bonded over sleep regression. Moorehead has seen Smith realize there are parts of parenting out of his control \u2014 even if it\u2019s not in Smith\u2019s nature to admit it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the big thing is he\u2019s learned patience,\u201d Moorehead said. \u201cIt was a good thing for him to have that, because it\u2019s not that he was overexcited or this or that, he just knows that everything\u2019s not always going to work out perfectly. When you have kids, you know that. You\u2019re trying to navigate an everyday life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith does not want a son, but he wants his daughters to understand how he believes a man should operate \u2014 and how he believes a father should parent. He views that as one of his roles. Smith is quick to remind people that he\u2019s not just having fun with the kids. The confidence that he exudes in parenting goes beyond being the playful one after work. Smith believes in discipline. He concedes more of the disciplining to his wife, Mya, but he readily admits he\u2019s not a flexible father.<\/p>\n
He has an idea of what\u2019s right and wrong, and he teaches his daughters as much. Kali is too young for some of the lessons. Kyse brims with curiosity, and Smith lets her know what he will not tolerate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m kind of set in my ways. I stand on what I believe,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWhat I say is what I say. So I know how I want to be as a father and what I want to do. I think I kind of stand firm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith credits this attitude to his parents \u2014 his mother was stricter, and his father showed him what it means to be a man. He also acknowledged he cannot parent his children the same way. Louisiana is not New Jersey. Back home, everybody in his neighborhood was family. (\u201cLiterally, your family,\u201d Smith said. \u201cYou leave your house and go to the next house. You walk in, it\u2019s family.\u201d) Also, 2026 is far from 2006. (\u201cSome of the things they were doing to me, I\u2019m not going to do to my kids,\u201d he said. Smith would not divulge the specifics.) But the principles he learned as a child, he is applying as a parent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say the strictness. There was no leeway with them,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThey were firm on what they said. When they said something, that was that. It was no, \u2018Maybe I think about this or that.\u2019 Like, no, what they said was what they said. I respect it, and I think I am where I am because of how strict they were on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He tells his teammates as much. When parenting is discussed \u2014 and yes, it\u2019s a topic that\u2019s discussed \u2014 Smith isn\u2019t necessarily looking for suggestions. He knows what he wants.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what he tells us, what we see, he\u2019s definitely a confident father,\u201d said Dotson, who played alongside Smith in Philadelphia before signing with the Falcons in free agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a young father myself, I wish I had his level of confidence,\u201d Covey said.<\/p>\n
Moorehead jokes that he wants to drop his kids off with Smith because Smith has it all figured out. Of course, with Smith, there\u2019s always more than what\u2019s seen on the surface. He can be regimented and stoic, but those who know him smile at his sense of humor and humanity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s a lot more patient at home than he kind of lets on,\u201d Moorehead said.<\/p>\n
Even Smith admits this in his own way. His locker stall is filled with pictures of his oldest daughter. When a reporter pointed to different photos, Smith\u2019s first reaction was that he needed to bring in more photos and ensure Kali is represented. During a December conversation, Smith was excited to share details about a dance his daughter choreographed<\/a> that he planned to reveal for his next touchdown.<\/p>\n He celebrated championships with his daughter on his lap. At his annual celebrity softball game last month, he carried his daughter into a news conference. Smith appears bigger this offseason, but his explanation might just be dad strength \u2014 something Jason Kelce cited with Smith two years earlier<\/a>.<\/p>\n DeVonta Smith with his oldest daughter before his celebrity softball game: pic.twitter.com\/BDjLajCnQb<\/a><\/p>\n