Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII champion announces his retirement from the NFL after a successful nine-year career
Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl-winning left tackle Donovan Smith has announced his retirement from the NFL on Instagram.
A member of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII champion team has decided to hang up his cleats and call it a career.
On Sunday, April 26, former Chiefs LT Donovan Smith announced his retirement from the NFL after nine seasons. A former second-round pick out of Penn State in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Smith started over 120 games in eight years with the Bucs. He even started in the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV win over the Chiefs. After his release from Tampa in March of 2023, Smith signed a one-year, $9 million deal with Kansas City in May of 2023.
Smith opened the season as the starting left tackle for the Chiefs, playing opposite Jawaan Taylor. He started just 12 regular-season games due to injury, before starting all four postseason games en route to the team’s Super Bowl LVIII win vs. the San Francisco 49ers.
After the 2023 NFL season, the Chiefs pivoted at the left tackle position. It was a bit of a surprise after the year of success they had with Smith locking down the blindside in Kansas City. We later learned that Smith suffered an injury while training in May of 2024, which caused him to miss the entire season.
Chiefs Super Bowl champion LT Donovan Smith calls it a career after nine seasons
Smith wrote a long post on Instagram announcing his retirement from the NFL.
Dear Football,
When I first started out this journey in 7th grade, I didn’t know what the other side would hold. With dedication, self-awareness, hard work, perseverance, sacrifice, treating people with kindness and respect, and capitalizing on the opportunities presented to me, I was able to gain more from the game than I could imagine. 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. It’s allowed me to grow in my faith, maturation as a man, brother, father, son, and servant to my community. I’ve gained lifelong friendships with people in the locker rooms I’ve walked and people behind the scenes that day in and day out make us, as athletes, the best we can be to be able to run out that tunnel on game days and perform. It has blessed me with a college degree and the abilities and resources to provide for my family and more. 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.
donovan smith
Former Buccaneers and Chiefs Offensive Tackle
Several of his former Chiefs teammates reacted in the comments.
“Congrats,” Leo Chenal wrote.
“Big Ups brudda!” Josh Williams said.
“Congratulations brother!” George Karlaftis wrote.
“Congrats on an amazing career brother!” Creed Humphrey said.
“Blessings brotha honored to share the field with you,” Jaylen Watson signed.
“Congrats fam,” Cornell Powell wrote.
“Most Def an Honor brudda! Congrats,” Clyde Edwards-Helaire said.
“Congratulations OG,” Trey Smith wrote.
The best moment of LT Donovan Smith’s Chiefs career
Hoisting the Lombardi Trophy and parading through Kansas City is undoubtedly his top memory from his time with the Chiefs. My favorite moment was probably him talking trash on Instagram live after the AFC Championship Game win over the Ravens. Roquan Smith apparently had been talking some stuff either before or during the game. The San Francisco 49ers didn’t learn the lesson from Smith, with Nick Bosa doing the same thing ahead of the Super Bowl. But Smith and company stood on business. That’s what he represented during his time with the Chiefs.