Feb 28, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings helmets at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine Experience at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

New York Jets Should Bring In Former Packers Star

Originally posted on New York Jets on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The New York Jets have one of the youngest rosters in the National Football League.

There are just four players on the Jets' active roster right now 30 years old or older. Josh Reynolds is 30 years old, Thomas Hennessy is 31 years old, Tyrod Taylor is 36 years old, and Nick Folk is 40 years old.

With the regular season kicking off in nine days, it's going to be interesting to see if the Jets update the roster any more. This week brought some surprise cuts, some not-so-surprising releases, and some additions. It was a long week and right now, Over The Cap has the Jets at just over $15 million in cap space.

Should the Jets sign the former Packers Pro Bowler?

The Jets have done a good job adding pieces recently, like Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs at defensive tackle. If New York is going to add another piece over the next week or so, the two areas that would make sense is the pass rush and at wide receiver. The receiver position has been talked about a lot, but the pass rush not so much.

There are guys out there who could have a big impact seemingly right away in the right opportunity. For New York, a guy that would fit that description is three-time Pro Bowler Za'Darius Smith. He's 32 years old and has 10 years of NFL experience under his belt, so he would bring another veteran presence to the locker room.

Smith had the best years of his career in 2019 and 2020 as a member of the Green Bay Packers. He was a Pro Bowler each year and combined for 26 sacks. Since then, he has spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions. In 2024, he had nine sacks across 17 games played split with the Lions and Browns. In 2023, he had 5 1/2 sacks with the Browns. In 2022, he had 10 sacks with the Vikings.

Smith is a guy still out there on the open market looking for a new home. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported earlier in the week that Smith is waiting for the "right" situation. Could that be New York?

This article first appeared on New York Jets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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