Jaylon Smith agrees to terms of one-year Packers contract after Cowboys surprise exit, report says

Jaylon Smith didn’t have to wait too long to find a new home in the NFL. After his surprise release from the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, the veteran linebacker agreed to the terms of a one-year contract with the Green Bay Packers, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. There were several teams looking for Smith after his release from the Cowboys, but the former Pro Bowler has indicated that Green Bay is where he wanted to play and the Packers can now strengthen their linebacker corps.

The Packers had to strengthen this area on their depth map after Za’Darius Smith had back surgery and is expected to be out for an extended period. Smith was injured in Green Bay’s Week 1 opener against the Saints and it was recently reported that he had undergone a procedure this week to repair his injury. Considering they would be without this piece for a while, targeting Jaylon Smith was a logical step for the Packers to deepen this place on the roster once it becomes available.

Money wasn’t much of an issue with Smith’s court as the Cowboys are expected to pay most of his salary in 2021. Dallas owes Smith – who signed a five-year, $ 64 million contract in 2019 – the remainder of his base salary of $ 7.2 million. While his release was surprising, it made financial sense as Smith’s role alongside the defense was reduced and the team were at risk of securing their contract for 2022 due to a possible end-of-season injury. Smith was expected to receive $ 9.2 million in base salary in 2022 with a cap of $ 11.8 million. Now he’s leaving $ 6.8 million in dead money against the 2022 Cowboys cap.

In four games played (two starts) for the Cowboys this season, Smith has 18 tackles and two presses. In his two starts where he saw at least 76% of defensive snaps, he made 13 total tackles, so he’s always a viable option in the middle of a defense when given an extended opportunity, especially against the race. While he can help the Packers in that regard, Smith has been a bit exposed in coverage this season. In his last four games with Dallas, he’s allowed nine of his 10 targets to be completed for 86 yards.