Before cutting a cake on Thursday, wideout Ihmir Smith-Marsette dealt with a cut of his own this afternoon.
On Wednesday, the 24-year-old receiver was one of six players waived by the Carolina Panthers. And yeah, it just so happens that the move literally went down a day before his 25th birthday.
Nevertheless, Smith-Marsette took to Twitter/X to “celebrate” shortly after the news broke . . .
Happy birthday to me 🫡
— Ihmir Smith-Marsette (@ihmirsm) August 28, 2024
Smith-Marsette appeared in all 17 games for Carolina during the 2023 campaign, where he served as the team’s primary punt returner. The speedster totaled 322 yards on a league-high 37 punt returns, including a 79-yard touchdown against the Chicago Bears in Week 10.
But with Smith-Marsette off the roster and on waivers (at least for now), the Panthers must find his replacement on return duties. Head coach Dave Canales offered a few options following Wednesday’s practice.
“Raheem Blackshear, he’s a fantastic returner. He can do both,” Canales said to reporters. “David Moore can also do both. Mike Boone has been a returner in his past. So those are some of the guys that we’re really counting on.”
In any event . . . happy birthday, Ihmir!
