Though he’s entering his contract year, Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith doesn’t seem too concerned about his expiring deal, as his agent told Brandon Kiley of KTGR that the 27-year-old Smith is “very comfortable” playing out the 2015 season (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star).
A former Dolphin, Smith signed a three-year deal worth $18MM with Kansas City prior to the 2013 season. He’s been well worth the money, as he’s started 31 games during that span, improving greatly from year one to year two. After grading as the league’s 48th-best CB in ’13, Smith moved up to No. 5 in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required); he ranked third in terms of pure coverage.
Following the release of Brandon Flowers before last season, Smith is the Chiefs’ unquestioned No. 1 corner, and given his relative youth, he should be expected to find a large payday on his next deal, either in free agency or via an extension with Kansas City. If, as his agent alluded to, Smith plays out the 2015 season without signing a multi-year deal, his performance this season will obviously play a large part in determining his value. If he plays as well as he did in 2014, though, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to secure an average annual value of more than $9MM, putting him in line with Flowers, Leon Hall, Aqib Talib, and Sam Shields.