Former Vikings Pass Rusher Surprisingly Announces Retirement
There have been a number of talented players to come through the Minnesota Vikings organization throughout its history.
On Monday, one of the players who helped the 2022 Vikings win the NFC North for the first time since 2017 announced he has decided to hang up his cleats for good.
That player is Za’Darius Smith, who is retiring after 11 seasons in the NFL despite currently being a key member of the Philadelphia Eagles pass rush.
Former Vikings Pass Rusher Za’Darius Smith Retires
Smith himself broke the news Monday morning with a lengthy Instagram post. The pass rusher wrote in part, “I knew this day would come — but now that it’s here, I’m feeling so many emotions I never expected.”
Smith went on to thank the many coaches, fan bases, and players who he met along the way, ending his post by writing, “As I step into the newest season of my life, please know this game has meant the world to me. The lessons learned on and off the field will stay with me forever.”
The pass rusher certainly outperformed his fourth-round draft pick status throughout his more than a decade of playing at the NFL level.
He began his career with the Baltimore Ravens where he turned himself into a very respectable starter from 2015-2018.
After that stint with the Ravens, Smith unleashed his true Pro Bowl form with the Green Bay Packers where he terrorized opposing offenses to the tune of 29 tackles for loss and 26 sacks over 33 games with the green and gold.
However, an injury would keep him off the field for almost the entirety of the 2021 season, and to save some costs, the Packers released him in the spring of 2022.
That is how he ended up with the Vikings where he turned in another fantastic campaign while playing alongside Danielle Hunter, totaling 15 tackles for loss and 10 sacks while being named a Pro Bowler for the third time and earning some votes for Comeback Player of the Year.
However, after that 2022 season, Smith shocked all Vikings fans when he turned heel and requested a trade from the organization. The Vikings complied, sending him to the Cleveland Browns for a 2024 fifth-round pick (later traded again by the Vikings) and a 2025 fifth-round pick that turned into Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. Smith later reasoned that he wanted more security with his contract.
From that point on, Smith became a year-to-year journeyman, spending the 2023 season in Cleveland before being traded again in November 2024 to the Detroit Lions.
He then signed with the Philadelphia Eagles for 2025, but even though he has appeared in five games and started two games, Smith has decided he has done all he wants to do at the NFL level.
Smith finishes his career playing 145 games (starting 98 of them) while recording 223 tackles, 87 tackles for loss, and 70.5 sacks. He also played in nine playoff games throughout his career.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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