Eagles DE Za’Darius Smith Announces Retirement

Smith, 33, 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 and he signed a one-year deal with the Eagles just before the season started.

In 2025, Smith has appeared in five games for the Eagles and recorded 10 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.