Maybe there could be a Za’Darius Smith reunion after all.
The former Vikings pass rusher had been playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. His issue? Just that he decided to hang up his cleats by retiring from the NFL. Pro Football Talk reports that the Eagles have moved on: “Edge rusher Za’Darius Smith abruptly retired from the Eagles last October, but he’s now free to play for any team if he wants to return to the NFL.”
Former Vikings Pass Rusher Now a FA
Once upon a time, Za’Darius Smith was making a case for Defensive Player of the Year while working in Minnesota.
Ed Donatell had taken over as the DC and was doing terribly. Someone who wasn’t doing terribly was the former Packer. Smith was overshadowing Danielle Hunter — no small feat — while stacking up 8.5 sacks and 13 TFLs in his opening seven games. Continuing on that pace would have involved an elite season.
Unfortunately for Smith, things did slow down. His singular season in purple finished off at 44 tackles, 10 sacks, 24 QB hits, 15 TFLs, 5 PDs, and 1 FF. Not too shabby.
After the season, Smith wanted more money. He eventually requested a trade, leading to a shipment to Ohio to play for the Cleveland Browns (the land where respectable football goes to die).
Check out his full career stops:
- Baltimore Ravens
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Cleveland Browns
- Detroit Lions
- Philadelphia Eagles
Some further background from PFT: “The NFL’s daily transaction report for Wednesday shows that the Eagles have released Smith from the reserve/retired list. He will now become a free agent, although there’s no word on whether he plans to resume his career.”
More from them: “Smith announced his retirement after recording 1.5 sacks in his five games for Philadelphia.”
As things stand, the Vikings could likely stand to add a veteran for the edge rusher spot. Ty Ingram-Dawkins has been flexed outward and the coaching staff appears to like Bo Richter, but he’s mostly a special teams contributor.
In other words, there’s a ton of uncertainty after Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner. Off-ball linebacker Eric Wilson is the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option who will get snaps there. Jake Golday is an active, versatile, and athletic player but is a rookie. Can he handle edge snaps as early as 2026?
Za’Darius Smith is 33 and comes in at an imposing 6’4″ and 270 pounds. A reunion isn’t likely, but having a different GM and DC does make it a bit more likely.
