Report: Buccaneers to place franchise tag on Donovan Smith

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will place the franchise tag on left tackle Donovan Smith before the March 5 deadline, though the two sides will continue to work toward a contract extension in the interim, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Smith hasn't missed a start in four seasons since being drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft.

The franchise tag would pay Smith $14.067 million for the 2019 season and make him the fourth-highest-paid left tackle in football by annual average.

"I don't envision Donovan Smith being anywhere else but with the Bucs, at least for next year," general manager Jason Licht said last week at the combine.