Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield couldn't hide his pain after learning the death of his former Cleveland Browns teammate Chris Smith.
Smith passed away on Monday at the age of 31. His former High School first shared the news before his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, confirmed the sad development. No cause of death was revealed.
After news of his passing surfaced, Mayfield got emotional. He posted a heartfelt message on Twitter to honor his former teammate, saying that “heaven got a good one.”
“To know him was to love him. Heaven got a good one. We’ll never forget you and we’ll always miss you. RIP Chris,” Mayfield shared.
To know him was to love him. Heaven got a good one. We’ll never forget you and we’ll always miss you. RIP Chris 💔 pic.twitter.com/KCrceHjAKf
— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) April 18, 2023
Chris Smith played with Baker Mayfield briefly with the Browns from 2018 to 2019 before he was waived. The veteran NFL defensive lineman started his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and played there for three seasons before jumping to other teams such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. Most recently, Smith played in the XFL after signing with the Seattle Sea Dragons on March 9.
Plenty of his former teams and teammates also posted tributes for Smith, with Derek Carr sharing a photo of him and Smith during their Raiders days along with the caption “Love you bro.”
The Browns also released a statement on Smith's passing, in which they called the North Carolina native “one of the kindest people” in the organization.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Browns DE Chris Smith. Chris was one of the kindest people, teammates and friends we've had in our organization. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time,” The Browns said.
Rest in peace, Chris.
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