It is said that NFL GMs spend hours dreading their ‘phone ringing in the dead of night during the offseason. Very little good seems to come from such calls, and it’s usually a sign that one of their players has done something silly.

Howie Roseman isn’t the first GM to hear his ‘phone ring under such circumstances and, while he almost certainly won’t be the last, I’m not sure how much comfort that will bring him.

The subject of the call on this occasion was Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher Nolan Smith, who was arrested in Georgia on charges of speeding and reckless driving, according to the Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office. Based on reports from deputies on the scene, Smith was clocked at 135mph in a 70 zone. Although he made bond and was swiftly released, a court date is scheduled for July 14th, though he may not need to appear if he pays the related fines.

Smith’s arrest for this activity continues a worrying trend of players from Georgia and their inability to practice safe driving. Smith’s team-mate on the Bulldogs, as well as the Eagles, Jalen Carter, was given 12 months’ probation and a $1,000 fine in 2023 after pleading no contest to misdemeanour charges of reckless driving and racing related to a crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy.

Smith had his fifth-year option picked up by the Eagles in April, meaning he remains under team control through the 2027 season. So far in his career, he has 10.5 quarterback sacks and 10 tackles for loss in the regular season, along with another four during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run in 2024. He’ll need to convince the team that he can put such idiocy behind him if he’s to land a long-term deal with the team that drafted him in 2023.