Earlier today it was reported that now former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end, Jared Odrick, was being released by his team. 

Odrick, 29, who signed with the Jaguars in 2015, took the news as well as anyone could, by posting an Instagram picture of it from the Cabarete beaches in the Dominican Republic.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQvq7J6hPWD/?taken-by=maxbaer75&hl=en

Prior to his time two years in Jacksonville, Odrick played four seasons with the team that drafted him, the Miami Dolphins.

His connection to this Buccaneers coaching staff comes from that draft night in 2010.

In a story told by Mike Kaye of First Coast News in Jacksonville, Odrick was almost picked by the Atlanta Falcons instead of the eventual Miami Dolphins. Odrick recalled his draft night experience where he was invited to be at the draft as a projected Top 20 pick. As the draft went on and he watched players like Gerald McCoy, Ndamukong Suh and Eric Berry leave their tables after hearing their names called, Odrick sat at his until the late teens.

Pick No. 19 in the draft belonged to the Atlanta Falcons, and as their pick came close to the clock, Odrick’s agent received a phone call from the Falcons General Manager, Thomas Dimitroff, who told them that Odrick was going to be their pick. Who was the head coach of that 2010 Atlanta Falcons team? None other than now current Buccaneers defensive coordinator, Mike Smith.

However, as pick No. 19 came on the clock, and commissioner Roger Goodell walked to the podium, Odrick’s name wasn’t the one that was called – they drafted Sean Witherspoon instead. Odrick was selected nine picks later at No. 28 by the Dolphins.

No one knows for sure who pulled the rug from under Odrick at that No. 19 pick. Perhaps it was Smith himself. But maybe it wasn’t. Maybe Smith really wanted Odrick, and there were forces against him that ended up with the team going a different direction.

What we do know is that Mike Smith did think highly enough of Odrick’s talent to consider draft him in the first round in 2010.

Perhaps he would like to finally get his hands on Odrick for a lesser price in Tampa Bay.