Former Detroit Lions edge rusher Za'Darius Smith has decided to retire from the NFL, which comes as a surprise after he appeared in five games with the Philadelphia Eagles this season and just played in Week 6.
Former Detroit Lions edge rusher announces retirement from the NFL originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
A former Detroit Lions edge rusher who was a fan-favorite during his brief stint with the team has decided to retire from the NFL.
Veteran edge rusher Za'Darius Smith, who spent half a season with the Lions after being acquired via trade with the Cleveland Browns in 2024, has unexpectedly decided to call it a career.
The decision comes a little over one month after he signed a one-year deal to play with the Philadelphia Eagles and is a surprise, to say the least.
Smith appeared in five games for the Eagles, including the team's Week 6 loss to the New York Giants, and posted 1.5 sacks and 10 pressures.
While Smith publicly made the announcement, he did not give a reason for it. But The Athletic's Dianna Russini did reveal that it was a personal decision rather than him having an issue with the Eagles, which is what some thought.
The Lions surprisingly cut Smith loose during the offseason and while the two sides flirted with a reunion given the Lions' clear need at the position, that never came to fruition and instead Smith ended up with Philly.
When asked why the Lions didn't re-sign Smith, head coach Dan Campbell basically said "we're good," which did not sit well with Smith's girlfriend and Detroit rapper, Kash Doll, who fired back on social media.
"Well, we’re good right now," Campbell said of not re-signing Smith. "I mean, we’re pretty good here. We got (Marcus) Davenport, we got good depth, I like what we got on the interior, too, we got a lot of flexibility and we’re sitting pretty good right now. So we’re ready to go, man."
"Hey coach. We're good," Kash Doll responded.
Smith was acquired by Detroit as a response to Aidan Hutchinson's season-ending injury. The veteran posted four sacks in eight regular season games with Detroit before getting blanked in the postseason.
Smith finishes his career with three Pro Bowls, a second-team All-Pro nod and 70.5 career sacks over 11 seasons.
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