T Donovan Smith Retires

“Dear Football,” Smith wrote in his announcement. “When I first started out this journey in 7th grade, I didn’t know what the other side would hold… Football has made me feel and experience every emotion imaginable. 

“Thank you to all that has helped me through the years along my football career. It has allowed me to grow and experience life in ways I can’t put into words.”

Smith entered the NFL as a second-round pick of the Buccaneers. He immediately handled starting duties on the blindside, a role he went on the hold for eight years. Smith totaled 124 appearances during the regular season with Tampa Bay, starting all of them. He also handled the left tackle gig for each of the Bucs’ seven playoff games from 2020-22. That span included the team’s Super Bowl LV victory.

Durability was a constant for most of Smith’s Tampa Bay tenure, although he missed four games in 2022. One of the team’s cost-shedding moves during the 2023 offseason was the decision to proceed with a release, something which made him a free agent for the first time. Shortly after the draft, Smith signed with the Chiefs on a one-year deal. That made him Kansas City’s stopgap left tackle for the year, and was a starting presence who helped the team win Super Bowl LVIII.

Smith was not retained following the Chiefs’ championship, although the offensive tackle spot remained an issue afterwards. When the team was considering in-seasons signings to fill in on the blindside in 2024, Smith was weighed as an option. In the end, though, he was not brought back. After spending the rest of the year unsigned, the Penn State product was once again a free agent through all of 2025. The initial waves of this year’s free agency – along with the draft – are now in the books, and Smith will officially turn his attention to his post-playing days.

In all, Smith made 147 combined regular and postseason appearances in the NFL. In addition to his two Super Bowl titles, he amassed over $66MM in career earnings.