Everyone loves a comeback story, and that's exactly what a former Green Bay Packers linebacker is attempting to be the star in after recent news broke.
Veteran linebacker Jaylon Smith just reached an agreement to join the Las Vegas Raiders, the team he most recently spent time with back in 2023 before sitting out the entire 2024 season.
Smith, a former second-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys, saw his career take a drastic turn after a few strong seasons with The Star.
Now turning 30 years old in June, Smith is attempting to prove he is far from done in the league.
Jaylon Smith's tenure with the Packers was so short it's easy to forget
Back during the 2021 season, Smith saw rookie Micah Parsons take the league by storm and overshadow his name in a major way. Earlier that year, Smith had wrist surgery as well, which was a concern for the team.
The Cowboys asked him to waive his injury guarantee but Smith declined. After that, Dallas promptly released him in somewhat stunning fashion. Things went downhill in Dallas, and quickly.
But, that gave the Packers an opportunity to snatch him up, which they did in a move fans thought was a no-brainer. It was a low-risk signing which could end up paying huge dividends for Green Bay.
In the end, that didn't exactly happen. Smith appeared in only two games for the Packers and made a single tackle.
From there, he was released for the second time that year. Fortunately, the New York Giants scooped him up and gave him an opportunity at redemption. Smith did end up going on to tally 88 tackles for the Giants in 2022 before signing with the Raiders in 2023.
Unfortunately, Smith's career went right back down in Las Vegas, as he appeared in only one game and made two tackles.
Since then, he spent just a couple of weeks on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad before going unsigned in 2024.
Now, for those who thought Smith's career was over, it appears as though he's going to try and squash that narrative.