The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept strength in place with the extension of Donovan Smith. This keeps Tom Brady’s bookend protectors under contract until 2023.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a big commitment to the offensive line on Wednesday. The team agreed to a two-year contract extension with starting left tackle Donovan Smith. It was the latest decisive move from the team’s front office that keeps the championship core together for next season.
By extending Smith, the Buccaneers guarantee that their two starting tackles will continue to protect Tom Brady throughout his current contract extension. It also aligns with the team’s offseason focus of keeping their core intact. Smith has been a starter for the team since he was drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft. He has started and played in all but two games in his career.
Although the team could have potentially moved on from Smith once his contract was up next season, keeping Smith is a wise move. It is possible that Tristan Wirfs could have been Smith’s replacement after next season, but when you have a championship window, you should avoid as many could be or should be as possible. The team knows what it has with Smith on the left side and Wirfs on the right side.
During the playoffs, Smith and Wirfs were as dominant a tackle combination as any team could hope for. According to Pro Football Focus, neither gave up a sack despite going up against top-end pass rushers throughout the postseason. It is especially impressive because the Buccaneers often leave their tackles on an island.
Wirfs will still be on his rookie contract throughout the Smith extension so financially this also makes sense for the team. The extension is officially for two years and $31.8 million. Smith is now guaranteed $30 million over the next two seasons. This means the team may be able to get out of the contract for a small-cap hit in the contract’s third season (2023).
The extension gave the Buccaneers cap flexibility in 2021 by freeing up $10.6 million. Smith also gets the guaranteed money and the opportunity to keep playing for a Super Bowl contender. For the Buccaneers, they keep a strength intact while also allowing them to gain much-needed cap space to retain additional players.