Lions Could Not Afford Za'Darius Smith, Still in Contact With Agent

The Detroit Lions and general manager Brad Holmes have not closed the door completely on a potential reunion with defensive end Za'Darius Smith.

After acquiring Smith at the trade deadline last season with two years remaining on his contract, the Lions released him earlier in the offseason in a move that allowed them to save money against the salary cap.

However, in his media availability at the NFL Annual Meetings Monday, Holmes indicated that the team has remained in touch with Smith's agent throughout the offseason, according to Fox 2 Detroit.

Holmes explained that retaining Smith on his previous contract was too expensive, but he did mention that the two parties remain in contact with potential for a different deal in the future. The general manager indicated that current and future financial obligations made it difficult to bring Smith back for the 2025 campaign.

"We just weren't in a position to really keep him at his salary," Holmes said, via the Detroit News. "Look, he played some good snaps for us and he made plays for us when we acquired him, so we would have loved to be able to keep him, but we just weren't able to. But we've been keeping in touch with his agent, and he understands that process, so we'll just see how it goes."

Another factor in releasing Smith is Holmes' belief that the defensive end group is talented enough to play at a high level if injuries don't once again become an issue. This group includes Aidan Hutchinson, who was the top-performing defensive end prior to suffering a season-ending injury.

Smith notched four sacks in eight games with the Lions and totaled nine across his time with the Lions and Cleveland Browns in 2024. He was scheduled to make up to $11 million and carry a cap hit of $5,757,500 in 2025 prior to being released.

Heading into the upcoming 2025 NFL season, Smith has yet to find a new home. Based on Holmes' comments, there could be mutual interest in a reunion under different contract terms in 2025.

Detroit has not added an external free agent at the defensive end position this offseason, but could look to bolster the unit in what is considered a deep defensive end draft class.

The team did re-sign Marcus Davenport to a one-year contract worth up to $4.75 million. Davenport missed all but two games last season due to a torn triceps.