Injuries, uncertain roles and previous exits suggest the end could arrive much sooner than expected.
The Atlanta Falcons signed three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Za'Darius Smith to a one-year contract on Tuesday. The Falcons did not reveal the financial terms for Smith, who worked out for the Falcons on Monday.
According to Ian Rapoport, the Falcons inked a one-year, $6 million contract with veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith. Smith has made three Pro Bowls throughout his career, the latest coming in 2022 with the Minnesota Vikings after recording 10.0 sacks and 24 quarterback hits.
How many of the Week 1 starting quarterbacks from the 2009 NFL season can you name in five minutes?
Za’Darius Smith met with the Falcons yesterday, and a deal has now been worked out. The veteran edge rusher agreed to terms Tuesday morning, as first reported by The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones.
A few trades have rearranged the NFL's backup quarterback ranks, but the dust has mostly settled. From a mix of recent first-round disappointments, aging vets, and young project types, here is how the league's QB2 ranks look for the 2026 season.
The Browns are expected to sign three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Za'Darius Smith, Cleveland.com reported on Sunday. Per the report, Smith is expected to fly to Cleveland to sign a contract on Sunday, three days after the team hosted him for a tryout.
Last year, veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith signed with the Eagles a day after the team’s season opener but only lasted five weeks in Philadelphia before announcing his midseason retirement.
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman can breathe after making three trades in the last week, as the trade deadline has officially passed. Now, it's back to focusing on the current players on the team.
The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the best teams in football, but the last few weeks haven't been too kind. They lost back to back games to the Denver Broncos and New York Giants before losing defensive end Za'Darius Smith to retirement.
Former Vikings Pro Bowler Za'Darius Smith made a surprising retirement announcement on Monday morning after playing in five games with the Eagles this season.
It's just going from bad to worse for the Philadelphia Eagles. After an embarrassing loss to the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football, edge rusher Za'Darius Smith dropped the shocking news that he's retiring from the NFL.
NFL stars can't play forever, and retirement is coming sooner than later for some of the league's top players. These 25 players could call it quits following the 2026 season.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Za'Darius Smith announced his retirement Monday on Instagram. The 33-year-old three-time Pro Bowl selection is six weeks into his 11th NFL season, his first with the Eagles (4-2).
Za’Darius Smith has taken part in five of the Eagles’ six games this season, but his time with Philadelphia is abruptly coming to an end.
Za'Darius Smith steps into a spotlight hotter than a July grill in Philly. He walked into the Philadelphia Eagles' locker room just a few days back. But he's already handed the keys to a kingdom.
If last week was a reminder to the Philadelphia Eagles' fan base, it's how young the defense is and is in desperate need of veteran leadership. It's one of the biggest reasons Eagles general manager Howie Roseman spent the day after the Eagles' 24-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys, signing edge rusher Za'Darius Smith.
The weakest part of the Eagles was exposed during their 24-20 win over the Cowboys on Thursday night.
Now that all 32 NFL teams have thinned out their active roster to 53 players, placed players on injured lists and started to settle their practice squads, teams have a much better idea of the strengths and holes on their rosters.
The Detroit Lions are still in the mix to land the services of veteran defensive end Za'Darius Smith. After a lengthy career, the veteran enjoyed time away from the game and did not participate in training camp, instead choosing to take a couple of vacations and spend time with those close to him.
With training camp in full swing, NFL teams continue to tweak rosters. Fortunately for general managers, veteran free agents are available to bolster teams.
Former Detroit Lions defensive end Za'Darius Smith is finding out romantic relationships can be quite difficult to sustain. After a relationship with hip-hop artist Kash Doll became public, news has now spread their relationship has recently come to an end.
I'm sorry, but I have to talk about Za'Darius Smith and the Detroit Lions again. I know I've done that often this offseason, but signing Smith just seems to make too much sense for the Lions.
Three-time Pro Bowl defender Za’Darius Smith is still on the free agent market, but he knows where he would like to land if it were up to him.
A closer look showed it was patently unpalatable for the Detroit Lions to keep Za'Darius Smith as his contract was structured, with nearly $9 million in bonuses coming his way on the third day of the 2025 league year.
As the new league year approaches the end of its first official week, former Detroit Lions defensive end Za'Darius Smith remains a free agent. The Lions released Smith prior to the start of free agency, as doing so allowed them to avoid paying the $2 million roster bonus he was owed.
The Detroit Lions released edge rusher Za'Darius Smith, according to multiple media reports on Sunday. The Lions acquired Smith, 32, in a trade with the Cleveland Browns in November.
After being acquired from the Cleveland Browns at the trade deadline, Za'Darius Smith was everything the Detroit Lions could've hoped he'd be. Over eight regular season games he had four sacks and 36 quarterback pressures to bolster a pass rush that needed some juice without Aidan Hutchinson.
With the mere mention of possibly being traded to the Detroit Lions, weeks before it happened, Za'Darius Smith had revenge games on his mind. "If I was to go to Detroit, I would like it, because I get to play Green Bay twice a year and the Vikings twice a year, Smith said in mid-October, via Scott Petrak of the Chronicle-Telegram.
It's been a whirlwind few days for Za'Darius Smith. The morning of trade deadline day, Tuesday, he was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Detroit Lions.
Long live the memories of Za'Darius Smith in purple and gold. He was a fierce pass rusher for the Vikings in 2022, but he only stayed for one season of the three-year, $42 million deal he signed to come to Minnesota after spending the previous three seasons in Green Bay.
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