Ex-Heisman winner Troy Smith signs to play in CFL
With an NFL career that had stagnated, 2006 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Troy Smith will try to rebuild his pro football career north of the border, signing a two-year deal with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, ProFootballTalk.com reported Wednesday.
Smith, 29, spent four seasons in the NFL -- three with Baltimore from 2007-09 and San Francisco in 2010 -- but appeared in just 20 games. He also was on the Steelers' offseason roster in 2012 but never made the team nor appeared in any games.
He completed a total of 121-of-234 passes for 1,734 yards with eight TDs and five interceptions. He was with the Steelers for part of the 2012 offseason.
Smith will become one of the backups to starting QB Anthony Calvillo, one of the greatest QBs in CFL history.
"We've been in discussions together for well over three months and have been patiently waiting for Troy to finish his (degree completion) commitments at Ohio State," Alouettes general manager Jim Popp said. "We'll have to fast track Troy in order to get him over the learning curve of the CFL and caught up to speed over the next several weeks. He's here to learn and grasp the game for future competition."
