Two weeks after being awarded AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, linebacker Telvin Smith was given a more tangible reward by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars announced they’ve signed Smith to a four-year extension Wednesday night. The deal is worth $50 million, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Smith was set to be a free agent at the end of the season. He’s now under contract through the 2021 season.
“Telvin has been a productive player and an important piece of our defense and he has earned his second contract,” executive vice president Tom Coughlin said in a statement.
“We want to identify the players who will contribute to help this team win going forward and reward those who can do that. Telvin is certainly one of those players for us. This is a high performance business and we look for his continued development as a team leader both on and off the field.
“Along with this new contract, Telvin must accept the high expectations that go with it.”
Smith has been a steady producer for the Jaguars over his first four seasons in the league. With the Jaguars tied for the AFC South lead and their defense fractionally behind Seattle for fewest points allowed in the league through seven weeks, Smith has become a more visible star in the making.
Smith has appeared in 53 games with Jacksonville over the last four seasons while making 46 starts over that span. He’s recorded at least 100 tackles in each of his first three seasons.
“I am excited about the opportunity to continue my career in Jacksonville and stay with the team that believed in me coming into the league in 2014,” Smith said in a statement.
“I am grateful for my family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches, and the incredible Jaguars fans for always supporting me and allowing me to play this game that I love. I also want to thank Shad Khan and the Jaguars organization for believing in me and giving me this amazing opportunity. It’s been a privilege these last four years and there is so much that I want to accomplish as a teammate and as an individual in this league.
“We have created a bond in that locker room and everyone is committed to our goal of winning football games. I am honored to be a part of that culture and help continue to lead this team in the right direction.”