The Detroit Lions are preparing to remove a standout defensive lineman after trading for him last season, since he is no longer an affordable luxury.
In an unexpected decision, many rumors indicate that the organization will release Za’Darius Smith before free agency begins.
Detroit surrendered a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in November to put his abilities to use midway through last season.
The Lions’ best pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a season-ending injury, necessitating the trade.
Following his season-ending injury, Detroit re-signed edge rusher Marcus Davenport in the offseason.
Add in a healthy Josh Paschal, and it appears that the Lions no longer require Smith’s services.
The Lions’ best pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a season-ending injury, necessitating the trade.
Following his season-ending injury, Detroit re-signed edge rusher Marcus Davenport in the offseason.
Add in a healthy Josh Paschal, and it appears that the Lions no longer require Smith’s services.
There is no world in which they could cut Hutchinson right now. Paschal played 14 games last season, but only recorded 15 tackles and two sacks. Davenport only played two games and had a half-sack, and he has not played more than ten games since 2022.
Smith, on the other hand, played only eight games in Detroit but concluded the season with four sacks for the Lions. That is the team’s second-highest total, trailing only the injured Hutchinson.
So this appears to be a contract decision rather than a statistical one.
Hutchinson is the team’s best player, and they just signed Davenport this summer. If the Lions cut Paschal, they would incur a $700,000 dead cap charge.
However, with this reduction, the Lions can remove Smith’s entire contract, which would have had a cap hit of $5.7 million.
Smith is currently on the open market and will most likely be actively sought after by a number of organizations.
He could be about to join his sixth NFL team. In addition to Cleveland, Smith has already visited Baltimore, Green Bay, and Minneapolis.
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