In terms of average annual contract value, the Indianapolis Colts’ Braden Smith is among the highest-paid right tackles entering the 2024 season, reflecting his impact on this offense when on the field versus off of it.
Smith would appear in only 10 games last season and even when playing, he was never quite at 100 percent. In those 10 games, Smith didn’t allow any sacks and he ranked sixth among all tackles in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric. With Smith, the Colts averaged 4.6 yards per carry. However, without him, they averaged just 3.9 yards per attempt.
Smith had offseason knee surgery that hopefully remedies the lingering issue from last season. Smith didn’t specify what the surgery was for, nor did he give a timeline for when he would be back on the practice field, but he did say he was in a “pretty good spot.”
“Coming out of the offseason, had successful surgery,” said Smith last month. “Had some stuff, you know, did some rehab this offseason, feel like I’m in a pretty good spot. Strength is coming back. Just making sure I can get through the season healthy and make sure we’re being smart with things.”
Smith will enter the 2024 season with a cap hit of $16.683 million – the third-most on the team – and earning an average of $17.5 million per year with two more years remaining on his existing deal. So where does Smith’s $17.5 million per year salary rank among his peers? Here’s a look, courtesy of Over the Cap: