Jaguars Extend LB Telvin Smith

The Jaguars have signed linebacker Telvin Smith to a four-year extension through the 2021 season, the club announced. The deal is worth $44MM and has a maximum value of $50MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) and Adam Schefter of NFL.com (Twitter link).

“He has earned this second contract,” Jaguars executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin said of Smith in a statement. “We want to identify the players who will contribute to helping this team win going forward, and reward those who can do that. Telvin is certainly one of those players for us.”

Jacksonville found Smith in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, and he’s been a playmaker since day one. While he’s been a starter for much of his time with the Jaguars, the 26-year-old Smith entered the league’s elite linebacker class in 2016, and has continued his excellent production through seven weeks of the 2017 campaign.

An every-down linebacker, Smith has remained on the field for 99% of Jacksonville’s defensive snaps, helping the club to a No. 1 overall DVOA ranking and a 4-3 record. On an individual level, Smith grades as the No. 3 linebacker in the league, per Pro Football Focus. Fast enough to play in coverage, Smith is the prototypical 21st century ‘backer, but he’s also spectacular against the run (No. 2 behind Lavonte David, per PFF).

While the specifics of Smith’s new deal aren’t in just yet, his $11MM annual average value would place him behind only the the Browns’ Jamie Collins and the Panthers’ Luke Kuechly as the highest-paid off-ball linebackers in the NFL. Contract structure and guarantees will impact analysis of the pact, but at first glance, Smith has met market expectations.

The Jaguars have not been shy about extending players whom they feel have a long-term impact with the club, and the 2014 class is no exception. Along with Smith, Jacksonville has also locked up center Brandon Linder and wide receiver Allen Hurns (who was signed as a undrafted free agent) to multi-year deals.