Former Viking with Speed to Spare Gets Booted Ahead of Birthday
The NFL can be a cruel place. Recently, former Viking Ihmir Smith-Marsette got a reminder of that basic reality.
Per Joe Person of The Athletic, Smith-Marsette was among the several Panthers to be let go on August 28th. Keep in mind that Carolina is working through a regime change with Dave Canales taking over. Person goes on to clarify that football is a “tough business” since “Smith-Marsette turns 25 tomorrow.” The Person follow-up is in response to the receiver’s own tweet wishing himself a happy birthday.
Former Viking Gets Booted Ahead of Birthday
Size, speed, and youth are all working in Smith-Marsette’s favor. Special teams ability, too.
The 25-year-old receiver and returner stands at 6’1″ and weighs in at 185. So, not a bruiser in the same way that A.J. Brown, Mike Evans, and D.K. Metcalf are, but certainly someone with some size to offer.
He got scooped up by the former leadership regime in the 2021 NFL Draft. During the 5th Round, Minnesota decided that the No. 157 pick ought to be sunk into the Iowa alumnus.
His rookie season involved turning 5 of 6 targets into 116 yards and a pair of scores. Notably, 4 of his receptions went for first downs. The deep-threat upside made many within Minnesota believe that the Vikings had done it again, unearthing a diamond in the rough in the late rounds of the draft.
Fast forward to the Kevin O’Connell era, though, and there wasn’t a spot for Smith-Marsette in Minnesota. The Vikings moved on from the man with 4.43 speed on August 31st, 2022.
The Chicago Bears scooped him up shortly thereafter, giving Justin Fields a new young pass catcher to work alongside in The Windy City. The relationship would be short-lived, though, ending less than two months after it began.
Arguably the most memorable play from his time as a Bear occurred when he fumbled the ball late in a game versus the Vikings:
But, to be sure, the receiver/returner has had some excellent moments, as well. First off, he ended up finding employment with Kansas City later on in 2022, meaning he’s the proud owner of a Super Bowl ring.
In 2023, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers, joining a team that was trying to recapture some former glory around No. 1 pick Bryce Young. Take a look at what he did against the Bears while working with the Panthers:
In his career, Ihmir Smith-Marsette has 14 receptions for 182 yards (13.0 average) and 2 touchdowns. He has had 37 punt returns go for 322 yards (8.7 average) and 1 touchdown alongside 5 kickoff returns for 100 yards.
He turned 25 on August 29th.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
The Vikings’ Week 1 and The 1 Gigantic Giant Capable of Ruining It
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.