PHILADELPHIA — There was an ongoing debate in the Philadelphia Eagles wide receivers meeting room last season. It spilled out of the locker room. It preceded meetings.The topic? Parenting a son vs. parenting a daughter.DeVonta Smith is the father of two young girls — a role that’s become central to his identity. A.J. Brown and Jahan Dotson have boys. Brown and Dotson argued with Smith about the joys of a son and tried to sell him on the idea of “little Smitty” following in his footsteps. Smith shook his head. He does not want a boy. Only girls.“I didn’t want my son to have to go through it,” Smith said in a conversation with The Athletic. “You create your own journey, but it’s still a journey that you have. It’s a blueprint that you have to follow. And I didn’t want (him) to have all that pressure. Thankful that I got my two little girls.”Those two little girls are 2-year-old Kyse and 1-year-old Kali. Their father is the Eagles’ new No. 1 receiver, one of the league’s top pass catchers and a respected figure in Philadelphia’s locker room. Smith has won a Heisman Trophy, two national championships and a Super Bowl.He’s known for his no-nonsense, understated disposition. But if you want to get Smith talking, bring up fatherhood. And if you want to learn about Smith, learn about him as a father.“Smitty’s personality is exactly how he parents,” said wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead, who has coached Smith throughout his career.This is a common refrain from those around Smith. You might meet fathers of young children swimming in self-doubt, admitting they have little idea what they’re doing. Smith is not one of those fathers.As he does on the football field, Smith handles fatherhood with conviction and precision.“He very much knows how he wants to live his life,” said Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey, who’s been around Smith for four seasons. “I think it’s fun to see him take on a responsibility like a father, because he’s very confident in how to do it. I mean that in a positive way. … He speaks with so much confidence.”It’s a combination of a strict upbringing in Amite, La., the disciplined approach that has his alarm ringing before sunrise year-round, and an unyielding personality that allows him to thrive in the NFL at 170 pounds, prompting Nick Sirianni to marvel at his toughness.“I would say I have a strong sense of how I want to do it,” Smith said. “Everybody parents different. I have a strong sense of how I want to parent.”“Yeah, he thinks he’s dad of the year,” Moorehead said.Smith does not boast about being the last to leave the facility. First to arrive? He’s in contention. But soon after practices conclude during the season, it’s common to see Smith with his daybag packed heading toward the facility’s exit for a distinct reason.“You know me, you see me,” Smith said in December. “When I go home, I go home. That’s why I get here early, so I don’t have to be here all night. I get here early, do what I need to do, practice over, come in, take my shower, I go home. That’s my time with my kids.”The time with his kids is just as essential as lifting weights or watching film. There’s hide-and-seek to play. There’s an 8 p.m. bath on the schedule. There are too many “Moana” songs to sing. It’s a self-mandated requirement.Smith appeared as an October guest on a podcast with NFL cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II and Terrion Arnold, friends and fellow Alabama products. The three 20-somethings teased each other and talked shop, although one moment turned poignant.“I ain’t going to lie, bro: You inspire me,” Surtain told Smith. “Hopefully I get some kids soon. I can settle down and be a family man. You inspire us, bro, for real.”It came while Arnold and Surtain discussed how busy Smith is with his daughters. Surtain said he aspired to be like Smith.“This s— ain’t for the weak, man,” Smith told them. “Take your time. … Make sure you ready.”Smith isn’t unique in being a father or caring for his children. It’s common to see the biggest players melt at the sight of their toddler. A Father’s Day story could be written from all corners of the Eagles’ locker room.For Smith, it’s a revealing part of his personality. As Moorehead explained, there’s no “fluff” in Smith’s life. “It’s his body, or it’s just family, and that is it,” Moorehead said. And for somebody who discloses so little that his excitement about a new juicer on Black Friday goes viral, the way he parents offers a prism into how he operates.“I mean, I don’t have all the answers to being a father, but I think I do a pretty good job of being one,” Smith said. “I’m doing things the right way.”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)When Kyse was born in September 2023, Smith celebrated by cradling a baby after a touchdown the next day. That was his public announcement.Privately, that also shifted his perspective. He’s 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 “it’s no longer about me.”“It’s about my family that I have, making sure that they’re taken care of,” Smith said. “They have everything they need. And I can lead them as a man in this family.”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’s out the door at 5:30 a.m. and at the facility by 7 a.m. On days without Pilates, he’s up at 5:45 a.m. and out of the house at 6 a.m. He’ll FaceTime with Kyse before school and get extra work completed with the Eagles before the workday begins.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’s something ahead of that hobby now. Those responsibilities helped him create a separation from his day job.“I leave work at work,” Smith said. “Try not to bring work home, because I know at the end of the day, work is going good, bad, they’re 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’t care about the football. They care about me.”Smith is accessible to Moorehead if there’s 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 — not because he’s waiting for the end-of-the-week news dump, but because the schedule ends earlier that day so he’s not in the same rush leaving the building. He’s even able to pick Kyse up at school. It still doesn’t leave him as much time as he desires.“Offseason is my time — my time is to shine,” Smith said. “I got to do a lot in the offseason to make up for it.”Kali is still developing her personality. But Smith already sees himself in Kyse. Even though he describes himself as a “silly father” who likes to “play around a lot,” it comes from creating a place of comfort. His oldest daughter is no different.“When we’re comfortable, we play around,” Smith said. “If we don’t know you, we’re kind of shy and be to ourselves.”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’s why Smith was sick of music from “Moana” by December.Smith has an alarm set for an 8 p.m. bath time. Then, it’s bedtime. He didn’t make it sound as if it’s negotiable.“When it comes to that,” he said, “I’m very detailed.”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 — even if it’s not in Smith’s nature to admit it.“I think the big thing is he’s learned patience,” Moorehead said. “It was a good thing for him to have that, because it’s not that he was overexcited or this or that, he just knows that everything’s not always going to work out perfectly. When you have kids, you know that. You’re trying to navigate an everyday life.”Smith does not want a son, but he wants his daughters to understand how he believes a man should operate — and how he believes a father should parent. He views that as one of his roles. Smith is quick to remind people that he’s 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’s not a flexible father.He has an idea of what’s 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.“I’m kind of set in my ways. I stand on what I believe,” Smith said. “What 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.”Smith credits this attitude to his parents — 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. (“Literally, your family,” Smith said. “You leave your house and go to the next house. You walk in, it’s family.”) Also, 2026 is far from 2006. (“Some of the things they were doing to me, I’m not going to do to my kids,” he said. Smith would not divulge the specifics.) But the principles he learned as a child, he is applying as a parent.“I would say the strictness. There was no leeway with them,” Smith said. “They were firm on what they said. When they said something, that was that. It was no, ‘Maybe I think about this or that.’ 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.”He tells his teammates as much. When parenting is discussed — and yes, it’s a topic that’s discussed — Smith isn’t necessarily looking for suggestions. He knows what he wants.“From what he tells us, what we see, he’s definitely a confident father,” said Dotson, who played alongside Smith in Philadelphia before signing with the Falcons in free agency.“As a young father myself, I wish I had his level of confidence,” Covey said.Moorehead jokes that he wants to drop his kids off with Smith because Smith has it all figured out. Of course, with Smith, there’s always more than what’s seen on the surface. He can be regimented and stoic, but those who know him smile at his sense of humor and humanity.“I think he’s a lot more patient at home than he kind of lets on,” Moorehead said.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’s 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 that he planned to reveal for his next touchdown.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 — something Jason Kelce cited with Smith two years earlier.