Oct 30, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; The new Detroit Lions blue helmet being worn for the first time before the Monday Night game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images.
Make that three NFC North teams for pass rusher Za’Darius Smith.
The former Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers outside linebacker has a new place of NFL employment this week, the Detroit Lions, and after his previous team, the Cleveland Browns, shipped Smith to a neighboring state.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted Tuesday, about seven hours from the league’s deadline: “Sources: The Browns are trading standout edge Za’Darius Smith to the Lions, who add a key presence on the edge to help make up for the loss of Aidan Hutchinson. It’s Smith and a 2026 7th going to Detroit for a 2025 5th and a 2026 6th. A major move.”
The Lions lost otherworldly pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson a few weeks ago, and though Smith’s production is nowhere similar to Hutchinson’s, he’s another starting-caliber commodity for a team with Super Bowl visions.
Detroit also lost ex-Vikings pass rusher Marcus Davenport to a season-ending injury last month.
Here’s Smith’s Pro Football Focus body of work to date:
Cleveland possesses a horrid 2-7 record as the season’s midpoint and may not be done moving players. For example, the Vikings have been whispered in the trade rumor mill for cornerback Greg Newsome II. Stay tuned.
These are the Lions’ non-injured defensive ends after the Smith deal:
Smith instantly becomes the Lions’ most experienced and dependable healthy pass rusher. It’s the one knock on Detroit sans Hutchinson: a reliable pass rush.
Smith found his way to the Vikings in March 2022, the team’s big free-agent splash of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first offseason. The defender played wonderfully during the first half of 2022 — even nibbling at Defensive Player of the Year consideration — but experienced a slowdown between Weeks 11 and 18, at least per sack totals. Smith’s QB pressures remained relatively consistent, but the sacks nosedived. The sack total simply ceased, tallying just 0.5 from Week 11 to Week 18. He produced 10 sacks from Weeks 1 through 10 in 2022.
Following the 2022 campaign, Smith [strangely] decided he was done in Minnesota and requested a trade. The Vikings sent Smith, a 2025 6th-Round pick, and a 2025 7th-Round pick to the Browns for a 2024 5th-Rounder and 2025 5th-Rounder. So, Smith + two late-round picks for two 5th-Rounders.
He’s played for the Browns since, and Minnesota will spend the final Smith-trade draft pick this April.
The Lions have the NFL’s second-best Super Bowl odds entering Week 10 (+480) right behind the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs (+400).
Smith turned 32 in September.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.