Less than 24 hours ago, the Dallas Cowboys shocked the football world by releasing linebacker Jaylon Smith.
It sounds like he won’t be unemployed for very long, as Smith and the Green Bay Packers are nearing an agreement on a deal.
Smith was the Cowboys leading tackler last season with 154 total tackles. But with the switch in defense under defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and the team drafting Micah Parsons, Jaylon Smith’s role became diminished, as he only started in two of the last four games.
It was a shock to see Dallas release such a prominent player on the eve of a rivalry game against the New York Giants, who are coming off a huge upset win over the New Orleans Saints.
Smith’s release also came as a shock considering he had signed a five-year, $64 million extension before the 2019 season and came off three straight seasons where he had over 120-plus tackles.
Smith re-unites with Matt LaFleur, who was the quarterbacks coach when he attended and played for Notre Dame. The Packers defense now gets better with a tackling machine at middle linebacker.
