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Buccaneers cut ties with 6-foot-6 receiver after rookie season
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- Buccaneers cut ties with 6-foot-6 receiver after rookie season
Buccaneers cut ties with 6-foot-6 receiver after rookie season originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Tampa Buccaneers didn't have the 2025-26 season they were hoping for.
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Although the franchise won five of its first six games, it collapsed down the stretch of the regular season and missed a golden opportunity to finish first in a relatively weak NFC South.
Shortly after Tampa Bay's disappointing 8-9 campaign, the organization cut ties with a 24-year-old first-year wide receiver.
"The Buccaneers waived wide receiver Jaden Smith on Thursday," the NFL's transactions wire stated last Thursday, according to Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams.
"Smith, 24, signed with the team as an undrafted free agent out of Nevada in 2025. He won a job with a tryout in the team's rookie minicamp." He was injured in training camp and started and finished his rookie season on injured reserve."
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"Smith also played college ball at Montana State and Tarleton State before finishing at Nevada. In 45 total games with those three programs, he caught 138 passes for 2,100 yards and 20 touchdowns."
Unfortunately for Smith, he was unable to make a lasting impression on the Buccaneers' franchise last season. Injuries happen in football, and they're especially devastating for players hoping to start their NFL careers on a positive note.
Smith, who recorded 849 receiving yards and seven touchdowns for Nevada in 2024-25, will likely get another opportunity to prove his worth in the big leagues. However, it won't be with the Buccaneers, at least for now.
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