The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reportedly agreed to a massive three-year, $41.25 million contract with offensive lineman Donovan Smith.
The #Buccaneers have reached agreement on a three-year, $41.25 million deal with LT Donovan, Smith, source says. He gets $27 million fully guaranteed. Team and Smith avoid the franchise tag. He sticks in Tampa.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 5, 2019
This new deal is a re-signing of his original deal with the team, and he's guaranteed to stay on board until at least 2021.
Donovan Smith is just the second player in Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise history to start every game in his first four seasons.
Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht said that the decision to re-sign Smith was a no-brainer, especially since he's got such a great reputation with the team.
“Donovan has been a valuable player and a model of durability since we drafted him four years ago. We always aim to develop our players and reward them for their productivity and reliability, so keeping Donovan as a Buccaneer was a major priority for us this offseason. Donovan’s presence ensures continuity at one of our most crucial positions on the offensive line and I know our coaching staff is eager to begin working with him.”
There was some talk about the possibility of using the franchise tag on Donovan Smith, especially early on in the negotiation process. However, now that he's re-signed with the team, using the franchise tag to extend his negotiation time with the team has been rendered unnecessary. It will be interesting to see if, indeed, Smith is able to maintain his good graces with the team going forward.
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