Jason Licht: Bucs Will Talk Long-Term Contract With Donovan Smith This Week
February 27th, 2019
Whether you like it or not, the Buccaneers have watched all the film on Donovan Smith and are prepared to cut a massive Team Glazer check.
They’ve looked at the market, the draft, Smith’s highs (and loafs) and have reached a conclusion. Pay the man.
Licht was on the SiriusXM NFL Radio airwaves today and made it clear the Bucs will be offering Smith big-time job security this week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
“He’s another guy [Donovan Smith]. We’ll talk with him while we’re here, whether it’s to do an extension or we can franchise him as well,” Licht said of Smith. “So I don’t envision Donovan Smith being anywhere else but the Bucs, at least for next year.”
Joe suspects after talking to various sources that Smith will be happy to sign a franchise tag rather than pout about not getting multiyear security. Heck the tag will be worth more than $15 million for 2019, and if Smith plays well while under it, man, he would have the Bucs by the footballs when it comes to a new deal for 2020 and beyond.
Not a bad spot for a 25-year-old.
February 27th, 2019 at 6:29 pm
I wish I could loaf at my job and make millions
February 27th, 2019 at 6:45 pm
Greg Robinson got 1 year 7 mil with up to 9 in incentives
Smith is 1 year younger and little better ranked.
Try to sign for around 10
Nate soldier got 15 per year last year which was a joke. He was average like smith. Giants over payed and are stuck with him
Get deal done before Trent brown. At around 10 mil , you can always move inside to guard or right tackle if he continues to be average. Allows you to still draft a tackle.
February 27th, 2019 at 6:46 pm
He’ll only have the team by the “footballs” if they don’t protect themselves and draft an OT that be groomed as a possible replacement for 2020. Another option is to do a 4-5 year deal with the only the first 2 guaranteed (Licht’s and Greenberg’s preferred method), which gives a longer cushion to groom an OT in case Smith continues his uneven play. Worse case we have two solid OT’s for the next 4-5 years, one still on a rookie deal.
February 27th, 2019 at 6:58 pm
He is a good player and has the potential to be great. He just needs a boot in his ass.
February 27th, 2019 at 6:59 pm
Sign a deal with mediocrity is sealing our last place fate again for 2019. You are looking at players who played just OK on a last place team. A decade of being in last place! A player like JPP has come to this organization showing all of us what true professionals look like yet we stand up for mediocrity. I do not get it! Yes poor coaching has been a huge factor but you know what? So has the loafing and especially the QUITTING!
February 27th, 2019 at 7:07 pm
I keep reading everyday but still haven’t heard or seen a darn thing to get me excited or believing anything will change. Bah humbug
I guess they think this is a game, THIS AINT NO GAME!!!! Football is life!!!
February 27th, 2019 at 7:19 pm
Any person here who manages employees will agree that you can’t teach work ethic, drive and passion. Talent only takes you so far.
February 27th, 2019 at 7:20 pm
He’s the GMC of the OL.
We won’t miss either of them.
Set the bar higher already and demand better Jason.
February 27th, 2019 at 7:26 pm
He is an average LT with the potential to be really good. We must pay him because if we don’t one of the many teams with worse LTs will pay him and we will be left with nothing. We can’t keep drafting players and give up on them only to see them flourish with other teams.
February 27th, 2019 at 7:26 pm
Jason Licht again trying to justify his horrible personnel moves and signing them up long term….this entire arians thing and the licht seems like a disaster coming up and arians feigning an illness and keep his “good” name after this year
February 27th, 2019 at 7:39 pm
They’ve looked at the market, the draft, Smith’s highs (and loafs) and have reached a conclusion. Pay the man.
The loafs comment Joe. Well done sir. Well done.
I do agree with extending D Smith at a lower cap hit for 2019 rather than the extremely expensive tag.
February 27th, 2019 at 7:56 pm
@bucnjim – You nailed it. Obviously you are in a management position. Give me a teammate with passion, enthusiasm, work ethic and persistence and you teach technique. Laziness is a disease, let the loaf walk and draft the OT from Alabama
February 27th, 2019 at 8:04 pm
Let’s face it. We all know more than the new regime (yeah, right)—a regime that has watched multiple hours of tape and has come to a conclusion. I’m not a Smith fan based on in-game replays where a running back gets hit behind the line or our QB gets killed while Smith is often seen scratching his helmet with a confused look.
That said, I could be wrong.
Admit it— you could be too.
But I digress: You don’t want me to make sense. You want me to say:
1. Robert- you are dumber that a brick. Conclusively, an inanimate object is smarter than you.
2. Tmax- I spoke with a cockroach today and, unlike you, he didn’t delve into one boring redundancy.
3. Joes: You bait with the best of them, especially with the ongoing “America’s Quarterback” angle. Well done!
Thanks for the laughs!
February 27th, 2019 at 8:16 pm
That money could be better used for free agents and draft signings. Let his lazy ass go, not worth anywhere near $15 million.
February 27th, 2019 at 8:53 pm
Ok bucjim and joestang, who is our upgrade at LT THIS year? Please state who is better than D Smith this next year, because that’s all the franchise tag would guarantee him. Franchise him and draft his replacement and give home a year to sit and learn or play the right side.
February 27th, 2019 at 9:05 pm
Any long-term deal will be in the neighborhood of $15 mil a year (remember who Donovan’s agent is). Still thinking that the Bucs will franchise him PLUS draft a tackle in Rnd 1 or 2. We NEED a RT anyway (as well as a Guard), and any prospect with potential to start immediately will have to come from the Top-2 rounds. Bucs are caught between a rock & a hard place. Thanks Jason, if you’d used just ONE of last year’s 2nd round picks on a Tackle (instead of RoJo or Stewart) we’d be a LOT better off right now.
For instance, the Vikings selected OT Brian O’Neill (Rnd 2 #62 pick) AFTER we chose both of them in Rnd 2 … he played in 15 games & started 11 for the Vikings. The Raiders selected OT Brandon Parker (Rnd 3 #65 pick) AFTER we chose RoJo, tewart & Davis … he played in 15 games and started 12 for the Raiders. Either of them could’ve helped us. But Noooo … Licht got us Alex Cappa late in Rnd 3 … he played in 6 games and started 0. Well played Jason.
February 27th, 2019 at 9:09 pm
I like people that are like ‘sign your own’ then when they hear Smith might get a contract they scream ‘this seals our year for another last place finish. Some people just really don’t know football lol. Smith can be a good LT. Just needs proper coaching and a boost in his ass. As well as the rest of the line to help out. Meaning the line is one nucleus. If one or two players are under performing than the whole line will look bad. Also think, who would we replace him with? And if we would sign him so would a lot of other teams. And if other teams would is he really as bad as some of you make him out to be. He has shown he has a high ceiling just needs to be shown how to always be at that level. Super Sayian is a hard transformation to keep without the proper training!
February 27th, 2019 at 9:13 pm
Perhaps Licht can become crafty and work out a long term deal with lots of incentives and a broad range of payments. His agent won’t be thrilled but it is probably the fair thing to do.
If he meets the incentives and they are reasonable give the man the money.
February 27th, 2019 at 10:24 pm
They have probably determined that they can save by doing a long-term contract rather than franchising him.
A franchise would be $14 mil……they may be able to negotiate about a $12 mil per year contract for 4 years…..
I think they are likely convinced that is the safest and most prudent route.
A franchise tag this year would not solve the 2020 problem…..they would have been forced to draft a replacement……
February 27th, 2019 at 10:28 pm
Sign Smith to a decent contract, then transition Humphries.
February 27th, 2019 at 10:31 pm
The guy is a swinging gate get rid of him.
February 27th, 2019 at 10:33 pm
The guy is a swinging gate get rid of him.
February 27th, 2019 at 11:28 pm
The swinging gate allowed us to lead the league in passing yards and we were third in passing touchdowns, more than New Orleans and New England. LTs play against some of the best players in the league, they will win 35 out of 40 reps, and people will act like that’s horrible.
February 27th, 2019 at 11:35 pm
I hope Licht and Arians know what there doing because after we pay D Smith and put money away for our draft picks that will pretty much break us. Since everyone wants McCoy and Jackson to come back instead of cutting them and using the money else where. Which means we lose Humphries and Kwon with out putting up a fight. No Landon Collins, No Tyrann Mathieu, No RG, No veteran CB or any really serious free agent. They will be completely banking the 2019 season on the fact that Dirk Koetter was a bad coach and that Arian’s can do better than Koetter with what he had to work with and our 2019 draft class that is a big Risk in my opinion.
February 27th, 2019 at 11:40 pm
Over and over again everyone speaking of drafting a replacement, while there are 2 or 3 guys on the roster who are that possible replacement. One of them, Liedke, played with the ones in preseason game 3 and played rather well.
February 27th, 2019 at 11:44 pm
I hope if they sign him, he will take being a Buc LT a little bit more serious and tighten up. Be a leader and give this team 120%.
February 28th, 2019 at 7:42 am
You know you guys are talking about a guy who couldn’t motivate himself in a CONTRACT year right? Every other player in a contract year is killing themselves on the field to show their worth. I shouldn’t have to tell you what is going to happen when he gets that big check in his hand. If you are going to accept average at least find someone who leaves everything he has on the field and maybe some nastiness.
March 1st, 2019 at 3:09 pm
Lowball this guy, move him to guard and draft his replacement. Problem solved