Lions' refusal to sign Za'Darius Smith stings even more after brutal Packers loss

Fresh off their 24-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys to open the 2025 NFL regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles signed former Detroit Lions veteran pass rusher Za'Darius Smith to a one-year contract.

This signing comes after Smith, in June, expressed interest in rejoining the Lions after being cut by Detroit in March to save salary cap space. The Lions acquired Smith at the NFL trade deadline from the Cleveland Browns last November as relief at pass rusher after the season-ending leg injury to Aidan Hutchinson. Now in the city of brotherly love, Smith will be playing for another NFC contender.

Smith could've been a valuable asset to a Detroit team that just saw the Green Bay Packers comfortably drop 27 points on their head in Week 1, with Jordan Love looking like the top gunslinger in the NFC North thanks to the lack of pass rush pressure generated by either Aidan Hutchinson or Marcus Davenport.

Zero sacks on defense is abnormal for Detroit, and a stat that perfectly represents what went wrong for them against Green Bay.

Lions sorely missing out on Smith after Week 1 loss vs. Packers

Smith played in eight games in the regular season for the Lions, including one in the playoffs. In the regular season, Smith recorded 12 total tackles and four sacks. Last season, before being traded to Detroit, Smith collected 23 total tackles and five sacks in nine games with the Browns.

Throughout his 11-year NFL career, Smith has played with three other teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Baltimore Ravens. Now, Smith will be joining his sixth NFL franchise with the Eagles.

Smith has been vocal about his hate for Green Bay, as well as his desire this offseason to re-join the Lions. However, head coach Dan Campbell put an emphatic stop to that rumor by telling reporters the Lions were "good" without Smith.

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That's a snub that was even caught by Smith's partner, rapper Kash Doll, who quickly took to social media to respond to the random subliminal.

Smith is a valuable addition for the defending Super Bowl Champions' defense as he will be joining an Eagles front seven that features Jalen Carter, Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, Josh Uche, and Patrick Johnson.

How Smith going to the Eagles affects the Lions

Similar to Micah Parsons being traded to the Green Bay Packers, Smith on the Eagles will present a lot of problems for the Lions, especially since he's a former player. Detroit will play the Eagles at Ford Field in Week 11 this season, and both teams could very well meet again in the playoffs with a shot to go to the Super Bowl.

It'll be interesting to see how Smith performs against his former team, as he may have a chip on his shoulder knowing that he wanted to re-sign with the Lions, and that Detroit general manager Brad Holmes opted not to bring him back even after considering it a possibility just a week ago.