LAS VEGAS — Jets fans should keep a close eye on the Super Bowl on Sunday, because they might be watching their next starting left tackle — Donovan Smith of the Chiefs.
Smith, who signed a one-year, $9 million deal with Kansas City before the 2023 season after spending his first eight years with Tampa Bay, will be a free agent after the Super Bowl.
The Jets are in desperate need of offensive line help, particularly at left tackle.
Smith, who’s never started fewer than 12 games across his nine NFL seasons, is also a willing candidate to wear Jets green.
He’s a native of Hempstead on Long Island, where the Jets used to train.
He told The Post on Thursday it’s always been his “dream’’ to play for the Jets.
2023 season. Getty Images
“I’m a take-it-as-it-comes kind of guy, and I’m where my feet are right now, obviously, for this game,’’ he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s my life, my career, and I’ve got to figure it out. I grew up a Jets fan. I’m from New York, so that would definitely be something I would appreciate before my career ends.
“It would, for sure, be cool to be able to have my name and number on the jersey of my hometown team I grew up with and watched as my favorite. … It would definitely be something that’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing for a lot of people, so we’ll see when that day comes. But right now, I’m just focusing on the big game.’’
If Smith was to sign with the Jets, he will have gone from blocking for Tom Brady in Tampa Bay to Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City to Aaron Rodgers with the Jets.
“That would be some legacy,’’ Smith said. “I take it as a privilege. At the end of the day, I’m sure that these guys have a say on who’s protecting their blind side, so that’s a testament to me and my work and what I provide. I’m writing my own legacy.’’
Where that legacy continues and whether it’s with the Jets will be determined in the coming months when free agency kicks in and the team begins to rebuild its broken offensive line.