Andre Smith Has Millions of Reasons to Watch His Weight

There were all kinds of red flags about Andre Smith before the draft. The Bengals picked the beefy Alabama tackle sixth overall anyway, betting on his skills against his drawbacks. But that doesn't mean they had no concerns about him at all, and Smith's rookie contract addresses one of the most significant.

According to a source familiar with the contract, Smith's deal (which guarantees him $21 million and could be worth as much as $42 million over six years) includes a weight clause that would allow the Bengals to fine Smith up to half his weekly game check every time he fails to appear on the 45-man active roster and weighs in at 350 pounds or more.

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The source said this clause was "a big reason" Smith didn't sign until last week. (Other than the still-unsigned Michael Crabtree, Smith was the last of the first-rounders to sign.) Apparently, the Bengals wanted a clause that would allow them to penalize Smith based on his weight. But the Smith camp fought for (and achieved) the part of the deal that only allows them to do so if he misses a game. If he weighs in at 350+ in a given week but is still on the 45-man roster, he still gets his full salary.

The point, according to the source, is not to penalize Smith for being overweight, but to track his weight as it pertains to his ability to play and/or recover from injury.

"Basically, if Andre Smith sprains his ankle or has some injury (presumably such as a broken bone in his foot) that keeps him out two, three, four weeks, they don't want him to balloon up while he's not playing," the source said. "That's a big part of it."

Smith is listed officially at 335 pounds in the Bengals' media guide, but it's hard to imagine he's that low after holding out all summer. He's got a week and a half to make sure he's under 350 and in shape to play the first game of the regular season. If he's not, it's apparently going to cost him.