ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders have signed unrestricted free agent LB Malcolm Smith, the club announced Wednesday.
Smith joins the Raiders following four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, helping Seattle to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances the last two years. In helping the Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII, Smith was named the game's MVP after recording nine tackles (five solo), one fumble recovery and a 69-yard interception returned for a touchdown.
Over his four years in Seattle, the 6-foot, 226-pounder played in 57 games with 16 starts, totaling 105 tackles (68 solo), two sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and seven passes defensed. He has also played in eight postseason games with eight starts, posting 27 tackles (16 solo), one fumble recovery, two interceptions and two passes defensed.
Last season, Smith played in 14 games with five starts for Seattle, posting 33 tackles (24 solo), two forced fumbles and one pass defensed.
A native of Northridge, Calif., Smith was originally selected by the Seahawks in the seventh round (242nd overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft out of USC. Playing three seasons under Raiders defensive coordinator Ken Norton, Jr., who was the linebackers coach at USC from 2004-09, Smith played in 47 games over four seasons, recording 174 tackles, one sack and two interceptions.
