Ihmir Smith-Marsette Heads to Super Bowl Contender
Dustin Baker
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Former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette didn’t last long with the Chicago Bears in 2022, but now the second-year talent is latching on to a contender.
The Kansas City Chiefs signed the Iowa alumnus to their practice squad on Friday.
The Vikings released Smith-Marsette on the same day in August that Jalen Reagor joined the club via trade. The news was stunning for Vikings fans, as Smith-Marsette was theorized as the team’s WR4 during the summer. But that forecast was fan-driven, evidenced by Smith-Marsette’s massive struggles in Chicago.
Chicago said sayonara to the 23-year-old earlier this week after a series of bloopers. Smith-Marsette encountered drops, penalties, fumbles, and generalized futility with the Bears, so the relationship was short-lived.
But now Smith-Marsette can try rebirth in Kansas City, a Patrick Mahomes-led team likely headed to at least the AFC Championship in 2022. Of course, he won’t start his journey on the active roster, instead joining pass-catchers Chris Conley, Daurice Fountain, Marcus Kemp, and Cornell Powell on the Chiefs practice squad. Wide receivers Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Justin Watson live on the active roster.
The Vikings selected Smith-Marsette in the 5th Round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but like much of that draft class, he was chopped by Minnesota’s new leadership regime at the end of the summer. Sixty-three percent of the Vikings 2021 draft class now plays elsewhere.
On waiving Smith-Marsette two months ago, the decision by the Vikings seems prophetic. Smith-Marsette’s “welcome to Chicago” resume was rocky — to say the least. His gaffe in Week 5 effectively ended the Bears chances of upsetting the Vikings.
In 2021 as a rookie, Smith-Marsette caught 5 passes for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Chiefs offense ranks second in the NFL per passing DVOA through Week 6.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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