Report: Kyle Smith expected to part ways with the Washington Football Team

It has been a big day for Ron Rivera and the Washington Football Team. The organization announced the additions of Martin Mayhew as the new GM, and Marty Hurney as the Executive Vice President of Personnel/Football Operations. The organization will continue to be coach-centric, which was announced when Ron Rivera was hired over a year ago. Mayhew and Hurney will report to Rivera, but this thruple is being labeled as a collaborative group going forward.

This is a happy day for Rivera, Mayhew, and Hurney, but there is another executive who will reportedly be leaving to make way for the more experienced executives. Kyle Smith has been rumored to be on his way out now that Ron Rivera has settled in. Smith has been with the team for 11 years, and has been in charge of Washington’s drafts for the last few years. Smith was promoted to Vice President of Player Personnel by Rivera after spending 3 years as Washington’s Director of College Scouting.

Sources tell us that Smith, the sharp 36-year old rising personnel executive, will leave the WFT organization at a time still to be determined ... but at the same time multiple sources believe Smith will land elsewhere sooner than later.

The news of a Smith departure was described as ‘inevitable’ by one source on Thursday night.

Smith’s expected exit will likely be labeled a ‘mutual parting of the ways’ between the only NFL organization he’s ever worked for.

Chris Russell and crew at Washington Football on SI.com have been all over the various front office moves, and now he is reporting that Smith is going to be leaving the organization. One of his sources described the departure as inevitable. We don’t know if Smith will around until the draft which can happen with second-level execs in a front office in transition. Smith has hired an agent, and is likely preparing for his first taste of NFL free agency. Russell says there are other teams looking into Smith if he becomes available. John Keim speculated on his latest podcast that the 49ers or Rams could be interested due to his connections to Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. Keim also said that Smith was tainted by his association with Bruce Allen and the old regime. Experience and a limited resume at the top executive level was something that was mentioned by multiple sources.

There’s no particular conflict, sources say, between Smith and the WFT boss Rivera. There’s normal friction that exists in every NFL building, but it was made clear that Rivera was looking for something else in the GM role other than the Smith resume provided.