Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith’s son E.J. has found a home in the NFL… but it’s not with the Dallas Cowboys.
E.J. announced on Saturday, April 25, that he will be signing with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent after going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Excited to officially sign with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent,” E.J. wrote in an Instagram post, along with a video showing the NFL legend’s son on the phone with the Chiefs. “Nothing is given — everything is earned. I’m ready to work, learn, and prove myself every single day.”
E.J. seems to be writing his own path rather than following in the footsteps of his father, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher who spent 13 seasons playing for the Cowboys.
Ron Jenkins/Getty Images The Dallas Cowboys have a brand new head coach in Brian Schottenheimer — but Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith teased he’s waiting in the wings in case things don’t work out. Smith, 55, has mostly stayed away from the game of football since retiring as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher […]
Instead, the younger Smith has seemingly decided that playing with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in Kansas City is the best option for him.
“Thank you to my family, coaches, teammates, and everyone who believed in me and pushed me to this moment,” E.J. continued in his Instagram post. “The journey hasn’t been easy, but every challenge prepared me for this next step. Grateful is an understatement. All glory to God for this opportunity. Let’s get it Chiefs Kingdom.”
Emmitt Smith Cindy Ord/Getty Images
E.J. finished his sixth season of college football before declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons at Stanford before playing the final two years of his college career at Texas A&M.
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He finished his career with 969 rushing yards on 207 carries and nine touchdowns. He also added 470 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air.
Before the draft, Emmitt spoke of his son forging his own path and told his son to “put your blinders on” and “just play the game.”
“Here’s the thing — you gotta run your race, and you gotta disregard what other people are saying,” Emmitt told Fox News. “Because you have whatever ability you have, you have to be yourself. And you have to work at being yourself and work at what you need to do to hone your craft. Just go play the game. Put your blinders on. Run your race. … And then when the blinders come off, you may look up one day and find yourself in the damn Super Bowl. You never know.”
He continued, “But stay the course, disregard all the noise out there because it is noise. And they’re not playing. They’re trying to put their stuff on you and their expectations on you. But if their expectations are different than yours, it doesn’t matter. Just go meet every expectation that you’re trying to meet. Everything else doesn’t matter.”
