8 hours Ago By Billy Heyen
The New York Jets are hoping there's a lot of power in a rock-solid name. They reached an agreement on Thursday with free agent tight end Stone Smartt, formerly of the Los Angeles Chargers. Stone Smartt.
Just stop for a minute and say that a few times. It's alliterative, and firm, and two strong common nouns put together to form a full name, with a double 't' at the end of his last name for good measure. MORE: Cowboys' Super Bowl chances bashed by departed free agent It could work well on the football field, too, where the Jets are trying to surround new QB Justin Fields with as many weapons as possible.
The 6-foot-4 Smartt came on down the stretch of the 2024 season for the Chargers and finished with 16 catches for 208 yards. In his two starts, he combined for eight catches for 87 yards. Smartt could get a chance to compete for the starting TE job in New York with Jeremy Ruckert, but that depends on whether the Jets bring back free agent Tyler Conklin.
At 26 years old, Smartt has a chance to make an extended NFL career for himself in the Meadowlands. He's taken quite the journey to get to this point, from Northern Arizona to Riverside Community College to Old Dominion. He went undrafted but stuck around for three seasons with the Chargers and now has a one-year pact with the Jets.
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