Getty Kansas City Chiefs starting offensive lineman Donovan Smith warming up in practice.
Could it be a match made in heaven?
The New York Jets desperately need offensive line help in 2024 after a disappointing year protecting the quarterback. Kansas City Chiefs starting offensive lineman Donovan Smith wants to return home and play for the green and white.
Smith told the New York Post that it’s always been his “dream” to play for the Jets.
“I’m a take-it-as-it-comes kind of guy, and I’m where my feet are right now, obviously, for this game,’’ he told Mark Cannizzaro. “But at the end of the day, it’s my life, my career, and I’ve got to figure it out. I grew up a Jets fan. I’m from New York, so that would definitely be something I would appreciate before my career ends. It would, for sure, be cool to be able to have my name and number on the jersey of my hometown team I grew up with and watched as my favorite. … It would definitely be something that’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing for a lot of people, so we’ll see when that day comes. But right now, I’m just focusing on the big game.’’
Smith and the Jets Could Be a Perfect Pairing in 2024
Smith, 30, is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He signed a one-year deal for $3 million that had a maximum potential value of $9 million with incentives.
The former Penn State product originally entered the NFL back in 2015 as the No. 34 overall pick in the second round. Smith has started in at least 12 games every season for the last nine years.
He has exclusively played at left tackle his entire career, per Pro Football Focus. Smith has 9,220 snaps under his belt during that period, per Pro Football Reference.
The Jets have voids to fill at both offensive tackle positions heading into the offseason. Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton are set to be free agents in 2024. It has been expressed to me by multiple team insiders that it is “unlikely” either end up returning to the squad.
The Jets have a need and Smith wants to play in New York. The other thing working in the Jets’ favor is the favorable contract situation. Smith’s $3 million annual salary this past season ranks No. 32 among the highest-paid left tackles in football, per Over The Cap.
That is a number the team could easily fit under the cap at a premium position.
Jets Receive Stern Warning About Possible Smith Signing
Michael Nania of Jets X-Factor explained that this story is too good to be true.
“Smith is a relatively big name in the offensive line world, which is why fans and media are hyping up his comments about the Jets. However, it’s starting to look like his days as a viable starter are behind him. Despite his notoriety, Smith was statistically one of the worst starting tackles in the NFL during the 2023 regular season,” Nania claimed.
Nania highlighted Smith’s “pressure rate” allowed of “8.3%” which ranked 68th out of 83 qualified tackles, per PFF. He explained why that is bad and added that “Smith was even worse as a run blocker. At PFF, he earned a run-blocking grade of 45.0, which ranked 80th out of 83 qualifiers (4th percentile).”
Some of these numbers are certainly troubling, but it’s something the team will have to investigate. With all of the offensive line issues the team has experienced, any time a proven longtime starter expresses interest in your ball club it’s worth a kick of the tires.