Syracuse Professional Athletes

Andre Szmyt Is Becoming One of the NFL's Most Clutch Kickers

Syracuse's footprint on the NFL was felt hard this week — on opposite ends of the fortune spectrum.

Andre Szmyt delivered again. The Cleveland Browns kicker drilled a 32-yard walk-off field goal as time expired Sunday, Oct. 25, lifting the Browns to a 27-24 road win over the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. It was Szmyt's third game-winning field goal of the 2026 season alone — a number that now ranks him second all-time in go-ahead or game-tying field goals since 1999, per Sports Illustrated.

What makes that figure more remarkable: it came in consecutive weeks. Deshaun Watson engineered back-to-back game-winning drives, and both times Szmyt was the one who finished the job. The Browns improved to 5-2 on the season, and Szmyt's leg has been a central reason why. Bleacher Report's Week 7 report card noted the walk-off kick as the decisive play of the game — no asterisks, no debate.

For Syracuse fans of a certain era who watched Szmyt set Orange records in college, seeing him thrive in crunch-time NFL moments is a full-circle story. For Cleveland's front office, Sports Illustrated framed it bluntly: Szmyt is forcing ownership to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to valuing his contract.

Zaire Franklin's Injury Clouds Green Bay's Linebacker Room

The week wasn't as kind across the league in Green Bay. Packers linebacker Zaire Franklin — another Syracuse product — is dealing with a hairline fracture that has already kept him out of multiple games, including Thursday night's contest. The injury has grown serious enough that Green Bay has reportedly reached out to the Philadelphia Eagles about a potential trade for two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Zack Baun, according to Heavy Sports.

Franklin has been a consistent presence at linebacker for the Packers, making his absence genuinely disruptive. With the injury timeline still uncertain and the Packers' injury report growing — guard Sean Rhyan is also believed to be dealing with a high-ankle sprain — Green Bay's defensive depth is being stress-tested heading into the back half of the season.

The trade inquiry tied directly to Franklin's injury is perhaps the clearest indicator of how significant his role has become in that defense. When your absence triggers calls for an All-Pro replacement, that's a backhanded compliment of the highest order.

Elsewhere Around the League

Syracuse had other alumni in action during Week 7. Sean Tucker contributed in Tampa Bay's dominant 43-13 win over Carolina, rushing for 52 yards and a touchdown as the Buccaneers rolled. Andre Cisco suited up for the Jets in their narrow 25-28 loss to Miami, while Alijah Clark and Justin Barron were on the field for Dallas in Monday night's 38-21 win over Philadelphia.

The week belonged to Szmyt, though — both in terms of drama and historical context. For a program that has produced NFL talent across every era, watching a kicker inch toward record books is a reminder that Orange alumni show up in the most unexpected ways.

Franklin Sounds Off After Packers Steamroll Bears

Zaire Franklin had himself a Sunday — and he made sure the Bears knew it.

The Syracuse product and Green Bay linebacker was front and center in the Packers' dominant 31-7 dismantling of rival Chicago at Lambeau Field, a result made sweeter by the history behind it. Green Bay had blown late leads to the Bears in both the regular season and playoffs a year ago, so the motivation to respond was already simmering before kickoff.

It was what came after the final whistle that really made noise. Bears second-year wide receiver Luther Burden III had talked up his ability to make the Packers "quit" heading into the rivalry matchup. Franklin had a one-sentence answer for that postgame.

"He quit today," Franklin said bluntly. "He didn't wanna play no more."

Franklin didn't stop there, blasting Burden as "weird" and making clear that the pregame trash talk landed flat when the scoreboard read 31-7. The comments ignited immediate reaction across the league, with Franklin leaning fully into the role of enforcer and mouthpiece for a Green Bay defense that had a point to prove. Whether or not the war of words continues, Franklin emerged from Week 5 as one of the more compelling personalities in an NFC North rivalry that hardly needed more edge added to it.

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Szmyt Locks Up His Future in Cleveland

While Franklin was making headlines with his mouth, fellow Orange alum Andre Szmyt was making them with his leg — and his bank account.

The Cleveland Browns kicker, long considered one of the more quietly reliable specialists in the league, earned a contract extension cementing his standing as one of the NFL's top kickers. The deal caps a sustained run of strong play from the Syracuse product, who helped end what had been a historically turbulent search for a dependable kicker in Cleveland.

Szmyt was active in the Browns' Week 5 loss to the Jets (12-17), a tough team result, but the extension signals that Cleveland's front office is building around him as a long-term asset regardless of short-term outcomes. For a franchise that has burned through kicker after kicker over the years, locking up Szmyt represents a meaningful organizational commitment.

For Syracuse fans, it's a second piece of good news in the same week: two Orange alumni, two very different kinds of headlines, and both firmly established as contributors at the NFL level.

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Around the Orange

The Week 5 alumni ledger extended beyond Franklin and Szmyt. Safety Andre Cisco suited up for the Jets in their 17-12 win over Cleveland — a result that arrived the same afternoon Szmyt was on the other sideline. LeQuint Allen Jr. saw action for the Jaguars in their tight 19-17 win over Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Oronde Gadsden and Marlowe Wax were both active for the Chargers in a 17-23 loss to Denver. Sean Tucker also surfaced in the Buccaneers' injury report ahead of Week 6, with his status worth monitoring as Tampa Bay prepares to face Pittsburgh.

The depth of Syracuse representation across NFL rosters remains notable — but this week belonged unmistakably to Franklin and Szmyt.

Franklin Steps Into the Spotlight

When the Green Bay Packers traded for Zaire Franklin this offseason, they were betting on a proven linebacker to anchor their defense. A few months later, that bet is looking very smart — and Franklin is already being talked about as the centerpiece of one of the NFL's most storied rivalries.

Heading into Green Bay's Week 5 matchup with the Chicago Bears, Franklin addressed the rivalry head-on, leaning into the "bad blood" that defines Packers-Bears history despite being new to it himself. The All-Pro has been with the organization only a matter of months, but his comments made clear he's done the cultural homework — and the Bears game isn't just another Sunday.

That pregame moment carried extra weight given what's unfolded around him. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, one of Green Bay's most disruptive defenders, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury against Tampa Bay, thrusting Franklin into an even larger role than originally anticipated. Head coach Matt LaFleur acknowledged Cooper's significance to the defense while making plain that the weight of that absence now rests squarely on Franklin's shoulders.

Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon went further. In an October 6 assessment, Gannon described Franklin's performance and approach in the wake of Cooper's injury as "unbelievable" — a pointed endorsement from a coordinator who now depends on the Syracuse product more than ever. The Packers acquired Franklin this offseason, and through the first five weeks, that investment is drawing nothing but positive reviews from the coaching staff.

On the field in Week 5, Franklin was in the lineup as Green Bay edged Tampa Bay 17-14 — a tight win that further underscored just how much the Packers need their linebacker corps functioning at a high level.

Other Orange Alumni Around the League

Franklin wasn't the only former Orange making noise this week. In Tampa Bay's Thursday night rematch with Dallas — a 24-16 Buccaneers win — running back Sean Tucker contributed 18 rushing yards. Tucker had also factored into the Week 5 loss to Green Bay, rushing for 10 yards and a touchdown.

On the Chargers, tight end Oronde Gadsden had a quietly productive Week 5, hauling in five receptions for 36 yards and adding two rushing yards in Los Angeles's 23-30 loss to Seattle. Fellow Charger Marlowe Wax was also on the field for that contest.

In Dallas, linebacker Justin Barron appeared in both the Cowboys' Week 5 win over Houston (34-30) and their Thursday night loss to Tampa Bay, while safety Alijah Clark was active in the Houston game as well.

Over in Arizona, cornerback Garrett Williams suited up for the Cardinals in a 24-36 loss to the Giants. And in New York, safety Andre Cisco played for the Jets in a 12-23 loss to Chicago.

The week's most compelling storyline, though, belongs squarely to Franklin — a Syracuse linebacker now carrying the defensive identity of a franchise built on linebacker excellence, with a Bears rivalry game and a coaching staff's full confidence behind him.