Ravens bring back LB Za’Darius Smith on four-year, $35M deal

Mentioned as a possible Za’Darius Smith landing spot, the Ravens are indeed reacquiring their former pass rusher. The recently released Packer is committing to Baltimore. 

The Ravens are adding Smith on a four-year, $35M deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This deal is not as lucrative as the one Smith signed in Green Bay three years ago, but Schefter adds it can max out at $50M. The 29-year-old spent the first four years of his carer with the Ravens, where he followed a familiar pattern of edge rushers gradually growing in their role on the team.

In his final season in Charm City, the former fourth-round pick posted a career-high 8.5 sacks. That earned him a sizeable second contract with the Packers, where he paired with Preston Smith to form one of the league’s best pass-rushing tandems. He totaled 26 sacks in 2019 and 2020, earning him Pro Bowl nods in each of those campaigns.

However, he was limited to a single game in 2021 due to a back injury. That, coupled with the emergence of former first rounder Rashan Gary, as well as his aforementioned hefty contract, made Smith a viable release candidate. It wasn’t surprising, then, that the Packers quickly made it clear he would only be brought back at a more affordable price.

While Green Bay was willing to keep Smith at the cash value he was owed (as opposed to his much higher cap number), it seemed the parting of ways by the two sides was mutual. The team will now move forward with Gary and the recently re-signed Preston Smith at the forefront of its edge rush department. As for the Ravens, a significant hole in the front seven has been filled. Before this news, the team’s only two notable pass rushers under contract were Tyus Bowser (who tore his Achilles in the season finale) and first-round rookie Odafe Oweh (who tailed off after an impressive start to the campaign).

Smith joins safety Marcus Williams as the Ravens’ second noteworthy signing on the defensive side of the ball. Not generally known for making splashes at the top of the free agent market, they have now added two major pieces to a roster that many saw as Super Bowl-caliber at the beginning of last season.