After signing a contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday, which will take him through 2015, defensive tackle Justin Smith said it likely will be his final NFL contract.
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"If I was to guess, I would say for sure," he said. "For sure."
But Smith said there's a chance he might not even stick around to see the end of this contract.
"I don't know," he said Wednesday, per the San Francisco Chronicle. "I'm playing this (year). I know that for a fact and then we'll go from there. But I feel good. That's the main thing."
Surely a Super Bowl title would play a role in that decision.
Smith signed a two-year extension that could be worth $8.7 million, a source who has seen the contract told NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. Smith created $4.3 million in salary-cap room for the 49ers in 2013 by converting almost $6.6 million of his $7.5 million base into a signing bonus. So his 2013 salary is guaranteed.
Also guaranteed is $2 million of his 2014 base of $3.15 million, Rapoport reported. That's a total of $9.5 million guaranteed.
Smith, considered the keystone to the 49ers' defense, is coming off a triceps injury and said he doesn't plan to hang around just to be a bit player.
"That's not going to happen," he said. "I won't be a guy that's around for 10 snaps, 20 snaps. It's either I'm going (to play full-time), or I'm not going. And when it's time to get my ass out of here, I'm going. I get a ticket like everybody else, so that's what I'm doing."
Follow Kevin Patra on Twitter @kpatra.
