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By Cameron Kiszla
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With the recent layoffs at ESPN due to the merger with NFL Network, ESPN is looking to fill spots that had belonged to Cam Newton and Karl Ravech, among many others.
It seems what had been Newton's role will be filled, at least in part, by a former Carolina Panthers teammate: receiving great Steve Smith Sr.
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Smith is "expected to have a recurring role on ESPN studio programming," including on shows like "Get Up," "First Take," "NFL Live" and others, reports Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports.
Immediate Transition From Player to Broadcaster
Smith, a fiery receiver who also played for the Baltimore Ravens, has been with NFL Network since he retired after the 2016 season, reports Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing.
He also hosts a wide receiver-focused podcast, "The 89 Show," which is named after his jersey number and is hosted alongside NFL Network insider James Palmer.
"Smith breaks down the position through the lens of someone who played it at the highest level, while Palmer leans on the front-office and coaching sources he’s cultivated throughout his reporting career to either validate or challenge what Smith sees on film," Neumann explained.
Smith is also well-known for his criticisms of players like wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, with whom he feuded while Jeudy was a member of the Denver Broncos.
Smith called Jeudy a "JAG — just a guy" that the team would eventually discard, a criticism that Jeudy neither forgave nor forgot, even when Smith said he tried to apologize.
"I'll say it again, I'm sorry I said you were a JAG, just a guy, who's an average wide receiver they used a first-round pick on that isn't doing anything," he said on NFL Network in an apology he directed to Jeudy before a Broncos game. "I hope that today you actually show up in a way that you haven't showed up since they drafted you.
"So if you ever got a problem with Agent 89" — Smith's nickname — "I'm sorry for saying that you're an average wide receiver that they will eventually move on [from]. When teams call me, asking if they should trade for you, I will say no, don't trade for Jerry Jeudy because he's mentally unable to handle constructive criticism from people who watch specifically, 'Can he be a wide receiver?'"
Smith also famously feuded with his former teammate Newton, though the two reconciled in a special episode of "The 89 Show."
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