Left tackle Donovan Smith will remain Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ player for years to come. The team announced on Tuesday that they have reached three-year, $41.25 million deal with Smith, keeping him with the organization at least through 2021. The 25-year-old was set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Buccaneers didn’t disclose the details of the deal, but according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Smith’s deal includes $27 million guaranteed in the first two years of the contract.
The news was confirmed on Buccs’ official Twitter page.
“Donovan has been a valuable player and a model of durability since we drafted him four years ago,” – said Tampa Bay’s general manager Jason Licht in a statement. “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.”
Donovan Smith entered the league in 2015, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him 34th overall in that year’s draft. He became a starter in his rookie season and went on to be selected into PFWA All-Rookie Team.
Since coming into the league, Smith started every game and currently sits on 64 consecutive starts, which is tied for second most in the league among left tackles. Also, he had the most pass-blocking plays (2,559) and played second most snaps (4,142) among all NFL players since 2015.
