Falcons hire Kyle Smith as VP of player personnel

Kyle Smith will go from being a key lieutenant in Washington’s power structure to playing a similar role in Atlanta. The Falcons announced that they hired the young executive as its VP of player personnel.

While Smith will move from having the same job title in Washington, he will become the Falcons’ top-ranking executive behind new general manager Terry Fontenot. Washington hired Martin Mayhew as GM and Marty Hurney as its executive VP earlier this month, lowering Smith’s standing in an organization that has given head coach Ron Rivera considerable power. Smith, 36, will now play an integral role in Atlanta’s new regime.

Other teams were interested in Smith, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, who adds that one year remained on his Washington contract. Per Jhabvala, Washington did not interview Smith for its GM post, and Smith and Rivera were not believed to be on bad terms during their short stay together. But the team did interestingly meet with Eric Stokes, who worked under Smith as director of pro personnel in Washington’s previous front-office setup.

Washington, which hired Smith in 2010, promoted him to VP of player personnel last year. The team did not hire a GM in Rivera’s first season. Well-respected for his draft acumen, Smith figures to be a GM candidate in the not-too-distant future.