We’ve officially entered the phase of the NFL offseason where teams begin shaping their final rosters for the upcoming season. With the NFL Draft wrapped up and most top-tier free agents off the board, this is the time when franchises start bringing in affordable veterans and even take chances on players attempting a return to the league.
For the Las Vegas Raiders — now under the leadership of Tom Brady in the front office and newly hired head coach Pete Carroll — the mission is to restore the franchise’s competitiveness in 2025.
Among several offseason moves, the team made headlines this past Sunday by signing a former Dallas Cowboys linebacker who hasn’t played since 2023 but once had a strong run in the NFL.
Former Cowboys LB Jaylon Smith Signs With The Raiders
On Sunday, May 11, the Las Vegas Raiders officially announced the signing of linebacker Jaylon Smith after the 29-year-old passed a tryout with the team. The move came as a surprise to many, as Smith had been out of football since the 2023 season and has battled a long history of injuries throughout his career.
Smith entered the NFL in 2016 as the 34th overall pick in the second round, drafted by the Cowboys. At the time, there were concerns among analysts about whether the linebacker would ever return to form after suffering a devastating knee injury — tearing both his ACL and MCL — in his final college game at Notre Dame. As a result, he spent his entire rookie year rehabbing and did not appear in a single game during the 2016 season.
However, Smith gradually carved out a consistent role in Dallas’ starting lineup, and from 2017 to 2020, he didn’t miss a single game due to injury. His strong play culminated in a Pro Bowl selection in 2019, the same year he posted career-highs in tackles and emerged as a cornerstone of the Cowboys’ defense.
His breakout earned him a five-year, $64 million contract extension during the 2019 offseason, cementing his status as a key piece of the franchise moving forward.
A Change In Fortunes
Smith’s career began to decline in 2020, as inconsistent performances raised concerns about his long-term role with the Cowboys. By 2021, those doubts turned into action, and the team released him midseason after he refused to waive his 2022 injury guarantee clause, a move the front office sought as protection following offseason wrist surgery.
From that point on, Smith’s stints across the NFL were short-lived and had minimal impact. He spent less than a month with the Green Bay Packers after being released by the Cowboys, then joined the New York Giants’ practice squad later in 2021. In 2022, he appeared in 13 games for the Giants — starting 11 of them — and played his last NFL snap in 2023, also with the Raiders.
The Raiders’ defense underperformed in 2024, finishing 21st in the PFSN Defensive+ Metric. With the arrival of Pete Carroll,a head coach known for his defensive mindset, expectations are high for a turnaround this season. Bringing in a veteran like Jaylon Smith could be a valuable move within that strategy, offering leadership, experience, and depth to a unit looking to rebound.
At this point, the risk for the Raiders is minimal — and if Smith manages to earn a roster spot and make a real return to the NFL, it would be a remarkable comeback story for a player who was once among the highest-paid linebackers in the league.
