The Green Bay Packers are getting ready for the 2025 season but there are some players that are still stuck on the sidelines. The Packers haven’t lost much from their roster over the past couple of years as they have one of the youngest teams in the NFL but there are some players that have escaped Green Bay for a better opportunity.
That includes a former Packer who had a messy end to his tenure. While he got what he wanted after pushing for a change of scenery at last season’s trade deadline, he finds himself without a job and looking for work as the upcoming season approaches.
Former Packers Defender Preston Smith is Still Looking for a New Team in 2025
The introduction of the article probably had most Packers fans thinking of Za’Darius Smith. But while he continues to plead for a return to the Detroit Lions, his former pass-rushing partner, Preston Smith remains without a job after he was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers in February.
Preston Smith was brought in with Za’Darius as a free agent in 2019 and quickly became a dynamic member of the Packers’ pass rush. He tallied 12 sacks in his first season in Green Bay and had eight or more sacks in four of his five seasons with the team.
Things were going good for Smith even as he entered his 30s, but his situation changed under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. With his playing time dwindling, Smith asked for a trade and was sent to the Steelers for a 2025 seventh-round pick. But that didn’t do much good as he managed 13 total tackles and two sacks in eight games before his release after the season.
One year removed from an eight-sack campaign, Smith could provide some value to a team’s pass rush. But as he’s due to turn 33 in November and didn’t seem to make any friends on the Green Bay roster, teams may decide it’s not worth the trouble to bring him in, which could lead to an abrupt ending to the former Packers’ career.