Chiefs Drop Millions On Donovan Smith
May 3rd, 2023
Former Bucs left tackle Donovan Smith.
The world champions, led by offensive line guru and future Hall of Fame head coach Andy Reid, have found their starting left tackle.
It’s Donovan Smith!
NFL Network is reporting tonight that Smith inked a one-year deal with the Chiefs that can be worth up to $9 milion with incentives.
Joe is happy for Smith, a perennial punching bag in Tampa for a sect of Bucs fans.
For years, legions of fans thought Smith was a garbage left tackle who should try playing guard. In 2020, he was a key to the Bucs’ Super Bowl run and in 2021, Smith was probably a top-8 left tackle in the NFL. Ask Bucs All-Pro right tackle Tristan Wirfs about Smith and he’ll say Smith was a great mentor and always eager to help him.
This signing made Joe laugh a bit because Tom Brady’s wife, Bucs-killer Gisele Bündchen, was quoted this year saying Brady had no offensive line in 2022. And now Smith is tasked with blocking for Patrick Mahomes.
Smith joins former Super Bowl teammates Blaine Gabbert and Mike Edwards in Kansas City. Former Bucs running back Ronald Jones earned a ring with the Chiefs last season. Dallas signed him in March.
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:35 pm
The rich get richer? Talking about the Chiefs and Smith. Wow. Well see if Licht made the right decision soon enough.
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:35 pm
Good luck to Donovan. It will be curious to see how Chiefs’ fans, coaches and players handle TD passes and long plays by Mahomes getting called back by holding penalties and drives stalling because of illegal procedure penalties committed by their new tackle. However, perhaps Smith has a little left in the tank, after last season I have my doubts but the Chiefs are a winning organization so their front office must know what they are doing.
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:38 pm
Last year we kept hearing about “personal issues” that were negatively impacting Donovan. Perhaps he just needed a change of scenery, and it doesn’t get much better than the SB champs. He was a big part of our Super Bowl year, I wish him the best.
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:39 pm
“Holding. Number 76 of the offense. 10 yard penalty from the spot of the foul. Repeat third down.
He gave us one great year and we’re just lucky it was 2020.
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:39 pm
Quick…somebody check on my man Doosh. Make sure he isn’t dangling from The Causeway.
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:53 pm
Brute trash cans are like $40. Chiefs could have saved themselves a ton of money by buying one of those, flipping it over, and tossing a #76 jersey over top of it.
Good luck Patty Mahomes.
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:55 pm
How long until the Gerald McCoy to the ring of honor fans start trying to Donovan Smith to the Ring of Honor?
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:05 pm
Donnie was hurt all year last year. I don’t get the hate with the guy. He played since day one and locked down the left side of the line and until recently was very reliable. He will definitely have a bounce back year playing for the chiefs. Good for him.
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:07 pm
Winny Testaverde Says:
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:39 pm
Quick…somebody check on my man Doosh. Make sure he isn’t dangling from The Causeway
__________
You’re a little late Winny……
DoooshLaRue Says:
May 3rd, 2023 at 9:29 pm
DonnieWatch, day 57.
Praise Jesus, he’s been signed.
I was assured by the omnipotent posters here that he would not be a free agent long.
I guess just shy of 2 months isn’t a long time and he’s “working” for about half of what we were paying him.
Brady’s quick release and Mahome’s scrambling ability may just keep this True Warrior employed just a little longer.
😂😂😂😂😂🌸🌸🌸🌸
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:09 pm
He’s making about half of what we were paying him Joe.
But yes….., MILLIONS.
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:11 pm
I was suuuuper pissed when we signed him to that big extension way back, and was pretty surprised when he blocked well for tom brady.. but I guess if he’s motivated to block for a good QB he might be ok.. get ready for alot of holding
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:16 pm
Will Rog and the NFL let the Chiefs lose multiple games from Donovan Smith holding penalties? He has been bad riding Ali coat tails for years. People talk about his one good Super Bowl year with the GOAT. OG playing OT. Exactly. Got run around and near top penalties on an annual basis.
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:24 pm
He’ll be a stud blocking for a mobile QB
Great pick up for KC
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:32 pm
The human turnstile? I’m sure he is a really great guy, but I remember lots of penalties, and having to help Brady off of the turf all too many times.
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:36 pm
Whatever.
He CERTAINLY DID HIS PART to help us LOSE GAMES last year! Ok, MORE THAN ”
HIS SHARE” OF LOSING (last year especially)!
He No Longer affects my breathing so… WHATEVER…
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:43 pm
In fact,
I can’t wait for him to meet Vea’s new buddy. No Way he can keep up with that spark plug! I’d say that the Chief’s are going to be in a spot of trouble when we come to town with our new Game Wrecker in tow!
And just like the Water Boy said, “You’ll See” (You sound like a big Ole chu chu Train)
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:46 pm
Sorry, I left something out
“POWER BOMB!”
Complements of Captain InSaNo!
May 3rd, 2023 at 10:56 pm
Reminds me of the Donald Penn hate that ran rampant for years then we picked up that slub Anthony collins and people actually saw terrible play. Lol most of these ppl wouldn’t know good oline play if it smacked them in the face. Was Donnie great? No but was he solid for 8+ years yep..
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:03 pm
Good for him. He’ll bounce back once he gets healthy. Andy Reid isn’t an idiot.
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:07 pm
Mahomes isn’t that much of a standing target either like Brady was. The Cheifs shouldn’t expect much push on the left side in the run game as Smith is more worried about self preservation than spending much energy mowing down defenders in the run game.
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:10 pm
Seconded, westernbuc
He’ll probably have a good year in a new environment (and under Reid’s eye)
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:13 pm
Reminds me of Donald Penn leaving for the raiders. He’s gonna still be playing high level football 5 years from now
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:28 pm
I bet there are still old Redskin fans who swears Trent Williams sucks.
But it sure seems like Reid doesn’t like to pay offensive linemen big bucks. They always seem to be replacing tackles.
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:31 pm
Andy Reid is an elite offensive mind, so he’ll scheme around Donovan’s weaknesses and make him a nonfactor, unlike other incompetent offensive coaches.
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:51 pm
The G-Hag used the Bucs and football as her excuse to divorce Tom, and go be a model for horse blankets at some met gala. That biotch deserves to eat rancid caviar and drink flat, warm champagne.
May 3rd, 2023 at 11:53 pm
The Dongster is a Chef. Good for them.
May 4th, 2023 at 12:18 am
Yawn
May 4th, 2023 at 12:20 am
A lot more went into the online last year than many of you understand.I suppose it’s easy to point fingers at a player who had to play his own position and make up for the weakness next to him.
May 4th, 2023 at 12:22 am
While not one of his supporters, I thank him for his part in bringing a championship to Tampa Bay. Good luck until we play you.
May 4th, 2023 at 12:23 am
He will do well in KC as mahomes can run all day unlike Brady
May 4th, 2023 at 12:25 am
Perfect The Buccaneers must have been reading all of my comments. YOUTH YOUTH YOUTH NO MORE OLD AND BUSTEDS. If a vet comes to the Buccaneers, it should be talked about as omg “The Bucs brought in a vet?” I do not mind some learning years to field a young Buccaneers football team. I hope Evans and Godwin and the rest embrace these kids and show them how to play in the NFL. The Vets on this team most are Superbowl winners so it is up to the Vets that remain to embrace these kids and bring them to the promise land for act 2. GO BUCS This story you published Joe just proves my point. Look at the money Chiefs wasted on this man. I am sorry This man tried for two seasons and that was it.
May 4th, 2023 at 12:40 am
Donovan Smith always needed outside motivation to play up to his talent. That’s the biggest issue most of us had. It took Tom Brady for him not to loaf on a block or two. That and Brady has one of the quickest releases.
May 4th, 2023 at 12:45 am
If he doesn’t work out at least Mahommes can run.
May 4th, 2023 at 1:49 am
Thin line between love and hate…. If Smith got drafted by the Browns or any team instead of your favorite team…. You think differently about him. You would believe he’s average to below average. Just saying how it works
May 4th, 2023 at 3:37 am
Smith was a solid player. Yes he had some bad games but he was never as bad as many fans were screaming all these years. He was never not a top player but he was not garbage either.
Maybe he will benefit playing with Mahomes just like our OL benefited playing with Brady. An elite QB can make the OL better than it is. I remember when we got Brady there were many voices that said he will be killed behind the Bucs OL without thinking that Brady will make the OL better with his decisions and his football IQ.
Smith like any other OL will look better protecting Mahomes than protecting a QB like Winston, Gabbert, Wentz, Darnold etc.
KC seems to like our players
May 4th, 2023 at 5:32 am
The officials won’t call holding on him now. He’s not a Buc anymore
May 4th, 2023 at 5:51 am
The Bowles Curse
May 4th, 2023 at 6:07 am
Some of you are making Smith out to be the second coming of Willie Roaf. Slowly back away from the crack pipe and maybe you’ll think more clearly.
May 4th, 2023 at 6:19 am
glad he is gone, he will play well for KC but if he played for us/Bucs he would zone out and just use the head lock to slow somebody down that or just watch them sack the QB. Resigning him was out of the question as too many touchdowns negated thanks to him. He will likely be tuned in at KC as he is on a new team. He will be a top 5 tackle now. Glad to see his ass gone.
May 4th, 2023 at 6:56 am
Thank you for all the years and Super Bowl Win! Best of Luck to you in KC.
May 4th, 2023 at 7:07 am
He was flagged for holding while signing his contract!
May 4th, 2023 at 7:27 am
He is a below average starting LT in the NFL, but he is a lot better than what the Bucs have right now at LT.
May 4th, 2023 at 7:53 am
Two words come to mind……Comp pick.
May 4th, 2023 at 8:03 am
I think it past the comp pick deadline.
May 4th, 2023 at 8:09 am
I was never a Smith hater like the idiots who were Smith haters.
However, it cannot be denied that Smith had a horrible year last season. He gave up more sacks than any other starting left tackle in the league. He was the most penalized (largely holding penalties, which are drive killers) starting LT in the league. He admitted that his head wasn’t in the game late in the season.
Facts.
Now, if he’s gotten his head back in the game, maybe he can bounce back in 2023 with his new team.
But Gisele Bundchen was absolutely right – TB 12 had no offensive line last year. It was all patched up with the loss of three of the best starters from the winning team of the prior two years, plus Smith having a very bad season. The only guy who consistently performed at a high level was Wirfs. One RT does not make an offensive line.
May 4th, 2023 at 8:20 am
They are paying about half of what the Bucs were paying him.
May 4th, 2023 at 8:36 am
Comp pick for this?
May 4th, 2023 at 9:01 am
Can’t help but think with a guy like mahommes who improvises and moves around so much will be that much harder not to hold.. but will buy time. I dunno. No hard feelings about Donnie. Hoping wirfs picks up left tackle almost as well as Right. Needed to get younger with the rebuild
May 4th, 2023 at 9:02 am
When you have a qb as old as TB12, you hold instead of letting him get hit and potentially knocked out of the NFL. Ya, DS was getting beat more last season but he protected his qb anyway he could.
May 4th, 2023 at 9:26 am
I trust Andy Reid far more than I trust the readers of JoeBucsFan… Smith was injured with a nasty elbow injury very early in the season (hyperextension maybe?). I’ve dealt with a hyperflexion elbow injury when I played and it was so bad that I went from being a RDE only to a LDE only for a season or so. I could barely use my left arm. I think it is quite possible that Smith was not close to 100% for the majority of the season and may have even been playing nearly one-armed. That’s not easy to do. I’m not making excuses for Smith in any way but I know he is better than he is given credit for. We are the same fan base that booed Donald Penn out of town because he gave up sacks against elite rushers like Robert Quinn while he blocked for poor QBs like McCown and Glennon and ran plays called by the immortal Marcus Arroyo. Then Penn went to the Raiders and continued having a stellar career. Most Buc fans have no idea how to evaluate talent.
May 4th, 2023 at 9:27 am
“A lot more went into the online last year than many of you understand.I suppose it’s easy to point fingers at a player who had to play his own position and make up for the weakness next to him”
You can also flip that same philosophy, and say that Donovan Smiths best years were because he had Ali Marpet next to him – Marpet retires and Smith regresses.
May 4th, 2023 at 9:32 am
BTW…. for those that want to go on about how bad protection was last season. It was far from great… that being said, Brady led the league in fewest times sacked per attempt and was only sacked 22 times, just like he was the season before, and only one more time than the season before despite playing one more game. As a matter of fact, the sack percentage rate of 2.9% for 2022, was the second lowest rate of his entire career. In 2021 it was 3.0% and in 2020 it was 3.3%. In New England, his sack percentage rate was 4.8%. Don’t keep spouting the BS about how bad the line was… the line wasn’t great by any means, but a high percentage of Brady’s issues were between his ears.
May 4th, 2023 at 9:50 am
Bucs released him. No comp pick for that.
May 4th, 2023 at 10:31 am
To me Donovan Smith was not that good his rookie year (Not shocking; how many offensive lineman are?) and then not good last year.
Was last year because he lost his best friend Marpet, just not motivated or was he playing through the hyper extended elbow all season? Don’t know.
Overall, was a better than average starter for us at a premium position for a lot of years. Better than 75 to 80 percent of players that put on a Bucs uniform in their career.
May 4th, 2023 at 11:00 am
Reid seems pretty undaunted about rebuilding offensive lines. It seems like they are always going to Super Bowls then letting guys go. The Patriots were like that, too. It is smart but I guess it helps to have Mahomes or Brady, too.
A big year for Devin White!
May 4th, 2023 at 11:13 am
Mobile QB that holds the ball to make a play is not ideal for Smith, it’s actually the worse case scenario for him. Going to be lots of holding. Now the Chiefs offensive coaches might not hang Smith out to dry against top tier pass rushers like Leftwich did. Good luck to the chiefs for signing a guy that wants the paycheck but doesn’t actually want to do the stuff to earn that check.
May 4th, 2023 at 11:43 am
Not gonna lie, I was really hoping we were resigning him for just a few mil
Oh well. Good luck on the left side Mr wirfs
May 4th, 2023 at 1:07 pm
Change of scenery might help him but for how long
May 4th, 2023 at 1:47 pm
We back-handily wish the best for Smith though we want him to fail like he failed us. Brace yourself as Smith will be a stud on this line. The reality is Brady is a statue and needed all the protection he could get, which exposed Smith when he wasn’t holding up his end of the deal with the line. Mahommes has excellent pocket awareness and he’s incredibly elusive. We might have pressured the sh** out of him in the Super Bowl, but with both his left and right starting tackles out we maybe only sacked him three times throughout that whole game?
Smith will not be a weak spot on this line for Chiefs. $9M is incredibly steep though.
May 4th, 2023 at 2:46 pm
often times Buc fans Will trash a play like Smith when he leaves. But for the most part, ex-Buc players always play well with their new teams. I’m happy for Smith and wish him the best.
May 4th, 2023 at 2:50 pm
D Smith had one good season with the Bucs. Last season was his worst. If he can only execute his blocks with Ali Marpet beside him, he certainly wasn’t worth what the Bucs were paying him. Best of luck to him, but I suspect his tenure with the Chiefs will only be a year or two.
May 4th, 2023 at 7:18 pm
It seemed to me that Smith was constantly getting “beat” as if he was out-of-shape, and then flailing around and “holding” out of the frustration.
Maybe Reid knows that: whatever caused this behavior by Smith is temporary; just a theory on my part.
But in any case, with an O-line as bad as last year, “change” is a definite, and that’s what happened, so why worry about it.
May 4th, 2023 at 8:32 pm
Good luck Donavan…thanks for your effort and sacrifice. Couldn’t have the 2020 super bowl without you.
May 5th, 2023 at 11:35 am
A section of Buc fans always hate our left tackles
Its because they know nothing about football. Never played football, and are the some of the stupidest people on Earth.
No worries.its a dead thread.
Still true though.