Bucs, OT Smith reach 3-year deal

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and offensive tackle Donovan Smith reached an agreement Tuesday on a reported three-year, $41.25 million contract extension. 

Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported the financial details and noted the deal includes $27 million in guaranteed money.

The Bucs were planning to utilize the franchise tag on Smith if a long-term extension wasn’t in place before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Tampa selected Smith in the second round of the 2015 draft. He’s started all 64 of the team’s regular-season games across the past four seasons.

The 25-year-old Penn State product ranks 15th among tackles in approximate value during that span, according to Pro Football Reference. He rated 46th at the position in Pro Football Focus’ grades during the 2018 campaign. Last month, Smith confirmed during an appearance on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football (via Stroud) he wanted to remain with the Buccaneers.

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“I hope so,” Smith said. “I hope so. That’s the thing, you never know. But I love Tampa. The community, teammates, everybody there. I’ve kind of established myself there, so why not?”

“One way or another Donovan was gonna be here. It’s just nice to know that we know that he’s going to be here for a long time coming, hopefully longer than this current deal,” general manager Jason Licht said at a news conference Wednesday.

Getting him signed ensures the Bucs won’t have to look for a new left tackle in the free agency or the draft.

Smith, 25, was a second-round draft pick (34th overall) in 2015. He has started 64 consecutive games, tied for second among left tackles in the league, behind Jake Matthews of the Atlanta Falcons. Smith’s 4,142 snaps since the start of the 2015 season rank second among all players, behind only Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, and his 2,559 pass-blocking plays are the most in that span.

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