The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are releasing longtime offensive lineman Donovan Smith after eight seasons with the team, ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler wrote in a pair of Tuesday tweets.
Releasing Smith saved the Bucs saved about $10 million in salary cap room.
The 29-year-old left tackle was an eight-year starter for the Bucs. He played in and started every one of the 124 games he took snaps in since he was drafted with the 34th-overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. The former Penn State standout played in 13 games for Tampa Bay last season, taking reps in every one of the team's offensive snaps in 11 games.
Donovan Smith would have had a $17.9 million cap hit in the 2023 season, according to Spotrac. He was on the final year of a two-year, $31 million contract he signed with the Bucs in 2021. $28.75 million was guaranteed at signing for Smith, including his signing bonus, 2021 salary and $14.5 million of his 2022 salary. An additional $1.25 million of his 2022 salary fully guaranteed after March 20, 2022.
The Buccaneers were expected to release tight end tight end Cam Brate “in the coming days” after he played in nine seasons with the franchise.
“I knew that going into the game, it could be the last time,” Brate said before the team’s NFC Wild Card round loss to the Dallas Cowboys in January. “I’ll look back on my time very fondly with the Bucs. It was awesome. An awesome ride. It’s been great.”
Donovan Smith spoke out about the NFL trying to restart football activities in a 2020 Instagram post.
“The unfortunate events of the COVID-19 pandemic have put a halt to a lot of things,” Smith wrote on Instagram. “Football is not one. To continue discussing the many UNKNOWNS do not give me the comfort. Risking my health as well as my family’s health does not seem like a risk worth taking.”
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