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Two-Time Super Bowl Champion Donovan Smith Announces Retirement
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- Two-Time Super Bowl Champion Donovan Smith Announces Retirement
Donovan Smith is done with football, and he went out on his terms.
The two-time Super Bowl champion announced his retirement on Instagram on Sunday, closing the chapter on a career that took him from a seventh-grade kid who had no idea where the game would lead to one of the more durable and decorated offensive linemen of his generation.
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Smith did not just reflect on wins and losses in his post. He spoke about what football gave him beyond the field.
"Football has made me feel and experience every emotion imaginable. It has also equipped me with lifelong lessons and tools on how to cope and deal with all things life may throw your way," Smith wrote. "Thank you to all that has helped me through the years along my football career. It has allowed me to grow and experience life in ways I can't put into words. I am forever grateful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the many blessings in my life and look forward to the new doors that will be opened for me on the other side of retirement."
Smith's Career Was Built on Showing Up
Smith's story started in Hempstead, New York. He played high school ball at Owings Mills in Maryland before heading to Penn State , where he put together three solid seasons with the Nittany Lions.
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft with the 34th pick. He made an immediate impact, earning PFWA All-Rookie Team honors and locking down the left tackle spot right away.
Over eight seasons in Tampa , from 2015 through 2022, Smith started all 124 regular-season games he suited up for. He missed just six games in that stretch. He logged more than 9,400 snaps as a Buccaneer and was a key piece of the offensive line that helped Tom Brady win Super Bowl LV in 2020.
NFL offensive tackle Donovan Smith.Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Two Rings, Two Franchises
Smith joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023 on a one-year deal. Injuries limited him to 12 regular-season starts, but he played every snap in the postseason, helping Kansas City beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII .
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That put him in rare company as one of the few starting left tackles to win championships with two different franchises.
He finished with 136 career starts and never once came off the bench. After sitting out the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the retirement announcement was really just confirmation of what had been true for a while.
Related: Steelers' Mike McCarthy Breaks Silence on Eagles Sniping Makai Lemon at No. 20
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
