Jones, Szmyt and Tucker Ink Free Agent Deals

Three more Syracuse football stars inked free agent deals on Saturday night after the conclusion of the draft.

Mikel Jones (Chargers), Andre Szmyt (Bears) and Sean Tucker (Buccaneers) all signed NFL contracts with new teams. The trio join Matthew Bergeron (Falcons) and Garrett Williams (Cardinals) in the league, after Bergeron and Williams were selected in the first 75 picks on Friday.

Draft weekend was already a success for the Orange, which saw Bergeron become the program’s highest drafted player since 2013 and had two picks inside the top-75 for the first time since 2001. Williams’ selection and Jones’ free agent pickup continue an especially strong lineage on the defensive side of the football. Since the program switched to the 3-3-5 base defense three years ago, they are the seventh and eighth players drafted or signed off that initial 2020 defensive unit, with four of the prior six still on active rosters.

The free agent signings on Saturday featured two of the Orange’s captains from this season.

The Chargers are getting a three-time All-ACC linebacker, who was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award this season. Jones was a multi-year team captain who finished his collegiate career with over 300 tackles in a Syracuse uniform.

Szmyt, who won the Lou Groza Award in 2018, concluded his ‘Cuse career 13th in FBS history and fourth in ACC history in scoring, with 454 points. The most accurate kicker in Syracuse history (81-percent), his 85 career field goals rank sixth in FBS history.  He connected on 92-percent of his career field goals from 40 yards and in.

Tucker is one of the most prolific backs in program history. He heads to Tampa Bay after three seasons in a ‘Cuse uniform and still managed to finish his career third on the program’s all-time rushing list (3,182). An All-American in 2021, Tucker was a two-time member of the Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award Watch Lists, and was a semifinalist for both as a sophomore.

Stay tuned to Cuse.com for updates on other free agent signings.
 

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