Jeremy Fowler reports that veteran DE Za’Darius Smith is a name to watch with free agency picking up this week at the roster cutdown deadline.
Smith has openly said he wants to return to the Lions , but was due $10 million, which Detroit needed to address other roster positions. The team has continued to monitor his status over the course of this offseason.
Fowler mentions that multiple teams have checked in on Smith, and he continues to train and stay ready for his next NFL opportunity after finishing with nine sacks in 2024.
Smith, 32, is a former fourth-round pick of the Ravens back in 2015. He played out the final year of his four-year rookie contract before agreeing to a four-year, $66 million contract with the Packers in 2019.
Smith had one year remaining on his contract and was set to make a base salary of $14,500,000 for the 2021 season when the Packers released him.
The Ravens reached an agreement with Smith on a four-year deal worth $35 million, but he opted to back out of the deal and sign a three-year, $42 million contract with the Vikings. From there, the Vikings traded Smith to the Browns, and he agreed to a two-year, $23.5 million contract with Cleveland.
The Browns traded Smith to the Lions along with a 2026 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick. Detroit released him before the final year of his deal.
In 2024, Smith appeared in 17 games for the Lions and the Browns and recorded 35 tackles and nine sacks in 16 starts.
We have him included in our Top 100 Available NFL Free Agents list.
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