Another shot
One of the all-time great linebackers in Notre Dame history is Fort Wayne native, Jaylon Smith. The Bishop Luers graduate played for the Irish from 2013-2015, and won the Butkus Award as a junior (he also won the Butkus in high school). Smith suffered a massive knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes and went from a top five lock in the NFL Draft to being selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 34th pick overall in the second round.
Despite some good seasons with the Cowboys (including a Pro Bowl selection) Smith was released in October of 2021. He then went on to play for five more teams from 2021-2023 (Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, and the Pittsburgh Steelers).
Smith never made it past the practice squad with the Steelers and was not resigned after the 2023 season.
Now… he’s looking to make a comeback.
After a weekend tryout, the Raiders are signing former Cowboys and Giants LB Jaylon Smith, per source. Smith now returns to the Raiders, where he played in 2023, his last NFL season. pic.twitter.com/MqcBZ6Vnvu
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 11, 2025
There is some hope that Smith can come in right away and compete for a starting job with the Raiders given what they have on hand, but after a year off entirely and the trajectory of his career from 2021-2023, any certainty of success should be thrown out of the window, He has a chance to play in the NFL one more time, and I can’t wait to see what he brings to the table.