Oakland Raiders clear cap space and Smith gets a year in jail

The Oakland Raiders have released Sean Smith, clearing a significant amount of cap space while the cornerback heads to jail for a year.

The Oakland Raiders are heading into the free agency period with a little more wiggle room, now that they’ve released cornerback Sean Smith, which would seem to prime the pump for a serious run at former Ram, Trumaine Johnson.

Smith, on the other hand, will be heading to jail for a year, and given that he’ll be 32 by the time he’s released, it would seem that his career is effectively over.

Cutting ties with Smith was a move most expected, given the fact that after signing a four-year, $38 million dollar deal with the Raiders in 2016, he underperformed. Which is putting it mildly.

In 29 games – with 23 starts – over two full seasons in Silver and Black, Smith collected a grand total of four interceptions and 15 passes defensed. He and the previously released David Amerson led a secondary that was arguably, the absolute worst in the league the last two years.

With Amerson’s release earlier this offseason, most figured it was only a matter of time before the team pulled the pin on Smith – especially given the unknowns surrounding his legal case.

Last year, Smith was charged with felony assault with great bodily harm after beating Christopher Woods – witnesses claimed that Smith stomped on Wood’s head while he was unconscious. Woods had been dating Smith’s sister and an altercation between the couple led to Smith intervening.

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On Monday, word arrived that Smith has accepted a plea deal in connection with the case that will send him to jail for a year – and three years of probation after the fact.

There was some thought that the Raiders would opt to keep Smith after he rallied down the last few games of the season – after the firing of Ken Norton Jr. – and turned in some respectable performances. With new DC Paul Guenther running the defense, some believed that Smith’s late season rally might have been enough for him to keep his job.

It was all up in the air until the announcement of Smith’s plea arrangement and pending incarceration. Releasing him at that point, was a mere formality for the Raiders.

Smith’s release gives the Raiders another $8.5 million to play with under the cap, with the though that although Khalil Mack is due a big dollar extension, they may use the money saved by releasing Smith to make a serious run at former Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson.

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They were thought to be interested in Richard Sherman once the Seahawks cut him, and it’s being reported that the cornerback called GM Reggie McKenzie looking for work. McKenzie though, apparently told Sherman that he didn’t have the space under the cap to be competitive for his services – thus, Sherman took his talents to Santa Clara.

Despite his disappointing tenure with the Raiders, Smith’s story is an unfortunate one. Opinions vary about the sentence Smith is agreeing to – some believe it’s too light, others think it’s too harsh for a man defending his sister.

No matter which way you slice it though, it’s a story without a happy ending for Smith, both personally and professionally.

The Raiders get some much needed cap room, but Smith loses not just his job and his career, but his freedom as well.