Cornerback Sean Smith will not be on the Oakland Raiders next season. He will not be on any other team, either. Not only is Smith being released by Oakland, he is headed to jail for a year as part of a plea agreement, per several reports.
Source: #Raiders releasing Sean Smith @RaidersSnakePit
— Bill Williamson (@BWilliamsonNFL) March 12, 2018
Smith signed a four-year, $40 million free-agent contract with the Raiders prior to the 2016 season. He struggled for much of his two seasons with the team and had zero guaranteed money remaining on his deal, so the release saves the Raiders $8.5 million against the 2018 cap and $9 million in 2019 without adding any dead money to their books.
His plea agreement comes after he was arrested and charged with felony assault last year.
Raiders cornerback Sean Smith will plead guilty Tuesday to a felony count of assault with great bodily injury related to an altercation in Pasadena last year, per a person familiar with the matter.
— Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) March 12, 2018
Smith, who the Raiders will reportedly release, will be sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation as part of his plea agreement.
— Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) March 12, 2018
According to prosecutors, Smith allegedly "beat and then stomped on the victim's head" after an incident in Pasadena, California. His attorney had maintained that Smith would plead not guilty and fight the charges, but it appears Smith has decided to take a different route.
With Smith no longer on the team, the Raiders will likely hand 2017 first-rounder Gareon Conley a larger role next year. They've also been rumored to be in the mix for free-agent cornerbacks like Trumaine Johnson, and could once again address the secondary in the draft.
