Kenny Smith (born September 8, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Smith has also been a member of the Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, and Kansas City Chiefs.
Smith was selected in the third round of the 2001 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints.[2] He appeared in six games as a rookie in 2001, recording eight tackles. He played in nine games in 2002, starting one while posting 19 tackles and 3.5 sacks on the season. He had a career-high 42 tackles in 15 games (nine starts) in 2003, while recording one sack. He spent 2004 on injured reserve.
Smith signed with the Oakland Raiders as an unrestricted free agent on March 31, 2005, but was placed on injured reserve and was released on November 2, 2005.
After spending 2006 out of football, Smith signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on March 7, 2007. The team released him on April 30, 2007.
Smith signed with the Patriots on June 8, 2007. He was released on August 22, 2007, and re-signed with the Patriots on April 22, 2008. Before the 2008 season he was placed on injured reserve and missed the entire season. He was released on June 4, 2009.
Smith was signed by the Chiefs on October 21, 2009, and waived on December 8, 2009.
Smith's son, J'Mar, played quarterback at Louisiana Tech and was named Conference USA's 2019 Football Offensive Player of the Year.[3] On May 5, 2020, J'Mar signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots.[4]