Indianapolis Colts right tackle Braden Smith will be remaining for another year, as the team has negotiated his contract to run through 2026. Previously, Smith had been named as a possible cut candidate, despite the fact that he's one of the best members of the Colts offensive line. However, Smith missed a significant part of the 2024 season due to an unexplained personal issue, which made some wonder if he could be considered reliable enough for 2025. Apparently for the Colts, he is.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that Smith and the Colts were able to agree to undisclosed terms, allowing Smith to remain in Indianapolis.
#Colts and right tackle Braden Smith have agreed to terms on a revised contract to remain with the team in 2025, per sources.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 10, 2025
Smith will remain a 2026 free agent. pic.twitter.com/Y9ZTWAXwR2
This negotiation comes in at the last second, barely missing the 12:00pm deadline for free agency to begin, in which Smith could have been poached by another team. His cap hit would have been a major $19.75 million. Smith, a veteran right tackle, was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and has spent his entire career with the Colts, having played in 94 total games. The Colts would have saved $16.75 million in cap space if they cut Smith, but the contract they were able to negotiate meant that Smith could continue his career in Indianapolis without costing the Colts too much.
General manager Chris Ballard has not disclosed what kept Smith off the field last season, but did say that their goal was to see him return. “What I will tell you is he’s doing really well, and he wants to play football,” he said. “We’ll work through the rest of it.”
When Smith has been healthy and on the field, he has been a solid, reliable member of the offensive line. According to Pro Football Focus, he had 760 pass-blocking snaps over two seasons, and allowed just four total sacks and four combined quarterback hits.