Notre Dame Professional Athletes

Notre Dame Alumni Report | NFL Week of Oct. 25–31, 2026

Two Fighting Irish alumni dominated NFL headlines this week — one with a milestone play, the other at the center of the biggest trade ahead of the November deadline.

Harrison Smith Reaches Immortal Territory

Harrison Smith has been one of the NFL's premier safeties for over a decade, and on Sunday he made it official in the most dramatic way possible. The veteran Viking recorded his 40th career interception against the Indianapolis Colts, sealing a 16–10 win and keeping Minnesota's perfect season intact.

The milestone places Smith among an elite club of NFL defensive backs — 40 career interceptions is a threshold only a handful of safeties in league history have crossed. That he delivered it as a walk-off, season-saving play only amplifies the moment. At this stage of his career, Smith isn't just managing games — he's still deciding them.

The win preserved the Vikings' undefeated record, making the pick as consequential as it was historic.

Quenton Nelson Lands in Seattle

The other Irish headline landed like a depth charge across the NFC. The Indianapolis Colts, mired in a disappointing 2026 campaign, traded six-time All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, officially kicking off what looks like a full roster teardown in Indy.

For Nelson, it's a fresh start on a Seahawks team with legitimate Super Bowl ambitions. Seattle waived guard Christian Haynes to clear a roster spot. The move was driven by championship hunger, not desperation — Seattle had been building toward a run, and adding arguably the best guard of his generation before the Nov. 10 deadline signals the organization is all-in.

Nelson's arrival also gives Notre Dame a notable Irish pipeline in Seattle: rookie running back Jadarian Price was cleared from the injury report and is expected to play in the team's Monday night matchup against the Bears. Price and Nelson now share a sideline.

The Eagles, for what it's worth, were also in the mix for Nelson but lost out on the bidding — cold comfort for Philadelphia fans, but a sign of just how high the demand was for the Irish interior lineman.

Around the League

Elsewhere, Kyren Williams had himself a day for the Rams, rushing for 99 yards and a touchdown while adding 22 receiving yards in a 35–21 win over the Raiders. Fellow Irish TE Michael Mayer caught three passes for 32 yards in the loss for Las Vegas.

Malachi Fields turned heads for the Giants, hauling in four receptions for 83 yards in a 27–21 upset win over the Texans — a performance that should quiet any questions about his role in New York's offense.

Nick McCloud had a rougher week: the Bears released the sixth-year corner after he appeared in just two games during the 2026 season, closing out what had been a turbulent year for the veteran.

For Notre Dame alumni this week, the range ran from legacy-cementing to life-changing — and no shortage of Irish names in the thick of the NFL's most consequential moments.

The Bad News First

Cole Kmet's 2026 season is over — and so, possibly, is his time in Chicago.

The Notre Dame tight end suffered a season-ending knee injury late in the fourth quarter of the Bears' 30-24 Thursday Night Football win over the Patriots on October 22, a cruel ending to what had been a winning performance. Kmet caught three passes for 28 yards before leaving on a cart, and the injury immediately raised a question that goes well beyond this season: is that the last time Kmet wears a Bears uniform?

His contract situation makes it a genuine possibility. According to Sports Illustrated, the Bears face a significant financial decision on Kmet this offseason, and a season-ending injury in a contract year rarely helps a player's leverage — or a team's urgency to re-sign him. Chicago appears ready to move forward with Colston Loveland and Sam Roush at the position, and the Bears' coaching staff has already signaled they don't feel a trade is necessary to replace Kmet's production. Six-lineman jumbo packages could also absorb some of the load.

The Bears aren't in crisis mode. Kmet's situation, though, deserves a separate conversation.

Raridon's Moment

The silver lining from that same Thursday game: fellow Notre Dame TE Eli Raridon had himself a night on the other sideline. The Patriots rookie caught three passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in the loss — his first career scoring grab. It wasn't enough to pull New England back from a fourth-quarter deficit, but Raridon's night was a genuine debut statement for a player who had mustered just 11 yards in his prior appearance two weeks earlier against the Jets.

Tremble Steals the Week

If any Irish alum had a flat-out great week, it was Tommy Tremble. The Panthers tight end torched the Eagles on Sunday, hauling in four catches for 46 yards and two touchdowns in Carolina's 25-14 upset win over Philadelphia. Tremble's two-score performance was the kind of game that reminds the league he's more than a blocking tight end — and it helped push the Panthers to a result few saw coming.

Around the League

A handful of other Irish alumni had notable moments in Week 7. Audric Estime punched in a rushing touchdown for the Browns in their 13-10 win over Baltimore, providing a bright spot in a low-scoring AFC North grind. Cam Hart came up with an interception for the Chargers against the Chiefs, even as Los Angeles fell 22-6. Michael Mayer had his best day of the season for the Raiders, catching 7 passes for 95 yards in a 33-30 loss to the Bills. And Kyren Williams ground out 50 rushing yards and three catches for the Rams despite a 18-16 loss to the Cardinals.

Blake Grupe's week was far grimmer. The Notre Dame kicker made his Rams debut — then exited minutes in with a knee injury suffered while making a tackle on a kickoff. He's now on injured reserve, leaving Los Angeles scrambling at the position again.

Jeremiyah Love was ruled out for the Cardinals' Week 7 game against the Broncos, the latest setback for one of Notre Dame's most promising young offensive weapons in the league.

A week with real highs and a headline-grabbing low — pretty much standard issue for a program with this many NFL alumni.

Kyle Hamilton Writes the Final Chapter in Baltimore

The Ravens didn't need Lamar Jackson to beat the Falcons — they needed Kyle Hamilton. The Notre Dame safety delivered the game-clinching play Sunday, intercepting Tua Tagovailoa in overtime to seal a 30-23 Baltimore victory and push the Ravens to 4-1 on the season. The pick capped a dramatic road win in Atlanta and has Baltimore drawing legitimate Super Bowl contender conversation from around the league.

The moment came with its own subplot. Teammate Marlon Humphrey said publicly that Hamilton got visibly excited when Tagovailoa entered the game — a comment that went viral and drew considerable attention heading into the week. Hamilton pushed back, saying Humphrey was being "hyperbolic," but the results on the field did the talking regardless. One interception, one overtime win, one Irish alumnus in the middle of a national story.

Fellow Irish alum Xavier Watts also suited up in the game for Atlanta but did not record notable stats in the loss.

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Jeremiyah Love's Rookie Year Hits a Snag

The other major Notre Dame story this week came out of Arizona — and it wasn't good news. Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love has been ruled out for the Cardinals' Week 6 matchup against the Rams with a lingering left ankle injury. Love did not practice all week, and the Cardinals made it official, promoting Tyler Allgeier into the starting role in his absence.

The timing stings. Love had been establishing himself as Arizona's featured back, and his absence leaves a significant void in an offense already facing an uphill battle. The previous week, Love managed just 22 rushing yards in a 45-21 blowout loss to Detroit — and now he won't get a chance to bounce back against Los Angeles.

Whether the ankle injury carries into future weeks remains to be seen, but for a rookie carving out his NFL foothold, every missed game matters.

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Around the Irish

A handful of other Notre Dame alumni made quiet but notable news this week.

Blake Grupe got a lifeline. The kicker, formerly on the Jets' practice squad, was signed by the Rams after Los Angeles released Harrison Mevis following two missed field goals against the Bills. Grupe steps into a starting role immediately.

Audric Estime is on the move again. The former Saints running back signed with the Cleveland Browns this week, his third team of the 2026 season. With Cleveland's backfield thinned by injuries to Quinshon Judkins and Reheim Sanders, Estime has a real opportunity to earn legitimate carries.

Eli Raridon quietly had the best statistical day of any Irish alumnus in Week 6, hauling in 5 catches for 57 yards as the Patriots routed the Raiders 45-17. The tight end is turning into a reliable piece of New England's offense.

Ben Skowronek was ruled out for Pittsburgh's Week 6 game against the Colts, adding to the Steelers' growing list of receiver absences. The Irish WR joins Roman Wilson on the sideline as Pittsburgh scrambles for options at the position.

Between Hamilton's overtime heroics and Love's injury setback, Notre Dame's NFL week was a study in contrasts — one alumnus at his peak, another waiting to get back on the field.

Notre Dame's NFL alumni had a week worth remembering, headlined by a Kyren Williams masterclass and a quietly dominant Michael Mayer performance that together made a strong case for South Bend's pipeline at skill positions.

Kyren Williams Is the Rams' Entire Offense

The Los Angeles Rams escaped Philadelphia 24–20, and Kyren Williams was the primary reason. The former Irish running back posted 80 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground, then added 10 receptions for 67 receiving yards through the air — a line that's difficult to find anywhere in the NFL in a single game, let alone from a running back. Sports Illustrated noted that Williams' pass-catching performance is now raising genuine discussion about him serving as a solution to the Rams' WR3 problem, which is a remarkable sentence to write about a running back. Williams isn't just a ballcarrier — he's a chess piece the Rams are using to reshape their offense, and Week 4 showed why.

Mayer Turns Heads in a Losing Effort

In Las Vegas, Michael Mayer nearly stole the show in a 30–27 Raiders loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Notre Dame tight end caught eight of his 10 targets for 82 yards — numbers that rivaled those of Brock Bowers (6 catches, 86 yards on 11 targets) and, in terms of efficiency, actually edged his more celebrated teammate. Mayer has quietly developed into a legitimate secondary threat for Las Vegas, and a 10-target game from an offensive coordinator is a signal of trust that's hard to ignore.

Around the Rest of the Irish Roster

Malachi Fields provided one of the week's more overlooked highlights, hauling in 2 receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown for the New York Giants in their 36–24 win over Arizona. It was a productive afternoon for the Notre Dame wideout in a game that wasn't particularly close.

Jeremiyah Love had a rougher go in that same Giants-Cardinals contest. The rookie running back carried for 63 yards but added just one reception for -8 yards, and Arizona's loss put a damper on any individual bright spots. Love's week was further complicated by an injury that drew scrutiny heading into Week 5 — the Cardinals were guarded in their messaging about his status leading up to the Lions game.

Durham Smythe's week ended on the worst possible note. The Ravens blocking tight end suffered a torn Achilles and was placed on injured reserve for the season — a significant blow to Baltimore's run-blocking infrastructure at a time when the offensive line is already under strain. Smythe had played in Baltimore's 24–18 win over Tennessee before the injury news emerged.

Kyle Hamilton returned to full practice participation after missing time, though he was listed on the injury report heading into the week. The Ravens safety's health is a storyline worth monitoring given how central he is to that defense.

Joe Alt was ruled out for the Chargers' Week 4 game against Seattle — a loss the Bolts ended up dropping 23–30 — raising further concern about the state of Los Angeles's offensive line. The Notre Dame tackle's absence was felt.

A busy week for the Irish diaspora, but make no mistake: Williams and Mayer were the headliners, and both made a compelling argument that Notre Dame's tight end and backfield lineage is very much alive in the NFL.