It has been said many times over this offseason that the Indianapolis Colts have a number of prominent contract extensions to get done, and that includes right tackle Braden Smith.
While the thought of the contract extension has likely popped up into his mind, Smith is letting his agent do the work he’s paid to do and get him a fair value on a new deal.
“Just let my agent handle it,” Smith told reporters last week at OTAs. “That’s what he gets paid to do. And then I get paid to play football, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
Smith has been the Colts’ starting right tackle since he had to fill in during the prime-time game against the New England Patriots in 2018. He did well and wound up carving out his role with the team on the edge.
Since then, Smith has emerged as one of the best right tackles in the game and will be in line for a big contract extension before the 2021 season arrives, seeing as that’s when Chris Ballard likes to get those deals done.
Smith has enjoyed working at right tackle even though he was drafted to be a guard, and he’s starting to feel like it’s his natural spot on the field.
“I mean yeah, any time you work at a position for three years you are going to feel pretty good at it,” Smith said. “I definitely feel comfortable and every day getting more comfortable getting the reps, getting the technique down and just keep improving every year.”
We took a look at what Smith’s contract extension could look like, and there is a good chance the deal winds up approaching the highest for right tackles in the NFL, though it’s hard to see him getting the same money that Lane Johnson does for the Eagles.
Smith is a big part of the offensive line having emerged as a strong option at right tackle. Now, he’s going to get paid as such when that new contract arrives this offseason.
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