Courtesy of Jimmy Johnson, former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Vinson Smith learned a valuable lesson about the business of the NFL. Entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 1988 with the Atlanta Falcons, Smith caught on with the Steelers in 1989 and battled for a roster spot until suffering an injury during the preseason.
Smith credits Steelers teammates like Greg Lloyd, David Little and Bryan Hinkle for instilling into him the value of working hard early in his career.
“I loved hard work, I loved teamwork and that is what they were showing me,” Smith said during an appearance on the In The First Row podcast. “I was like ‘I really want to be on this team.’ But I broke my left metatarsal. I had won the Most Valuable Player the two games before so I knew I was just as good as the people I was trying to get past and I was really good on special teams. So, that kind of carried me.”
After the season, Smith was a Plan B free agent, a short-lived system where teams could only protect 37 players each season, leaving the rest free to negotiate with other teams. Even as he fielded offers from a handful of other teams, Smith told his agent that he wanted to remain loyal to the Steelers and return to Pittsburgh. Everything changed when the Dallas Cowboys called Smith directly.
First, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt called him.
“That’s a defensive coordinator,” Smith said. “Usually, we only talk to the recruiters. They don’t talk to you when you’re a nobody.”
Smith politely told Wannstedt that he intended to return to the Steelers, which only seemed to increase the Cowboys’ interest. The next phone call came from head coach Jimmy Johnson.
When Smith explained that he intended to stay loyal to Pittsburgh, Johnson replied with advice that changed the course of his career.
“He told me right then, he said there’s no loyalty in the NFL.”
From there, Johnson told Smith that the Cowboys would offer more money. Smith was sold and signed with Dallas. He enjoyed three seasons as a starter on the Cowboys defense and won Super Bowl XXVII. Smith stuck around the league for a 12-year career that also included stops with the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, and a second stint to Dallas.
Smith became a beloved teammate in every stop of his career. He won the Ed Block Courage Award, as voted on by his teammates with the Bears in 1995. Even though the Cowboys were able to pry him away with the promise of more money, it’s clear that Smith learned important lessons during his short time in Pittsburgh in the early stages of his career.
Still, the most important lesson he learned may have been the one from Jimmy Johnson about the power of persuasion and the business of pro football.
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