After Aidan Hutchinson suffered a season-ending broken leg last season, Za’Darius Smith quickly stood out as a potential edge rusher trade target for the Detroit Lions. A deal got done on trade deadline day, and after the season, general manager Brad Holmes openly talked about how arduous the process was.
Due in large part to how the contract he had with the Cleveland Browns was structured in terms of void years and timing of a big bonus payout, and apparently without being able to agree about a revision to that contract, the Lions waived Smith in March.
For months, as Holmes would get defiant about the perceived lack of attention to adding another capable edge rusher, the idea that Smith could return to the Lions lingered. It also started to become more unlikely.
In early September, Smith signed with a fellow NFC Super Bowl contender, the Philadelphia Eagles. Through six games in a part-time role (38 percent snap share), he showed he had plenty left in the tank (1.5 sacks, Pro Football Focus’ 23rd-ranked edge rusher).
Brad Holmes’ decision on Za’Darius Smith looks even more savvy now
Criticism of the Lions’ decision not to bring Smith has been basically eliminated by the early-season performance of Al-Quadin Muhammad (4.5 sacks, 18 pressures) as a force opposite Hutchinson.
On Monday, out of nowhere, Smith announced his retirement via a post on Instagram.
Holmes at one point acknowledged he was maintaining some level of contact with Smith and/or his agent. Why Smith waited so long to sign with any team, even if he didn’t come back to the Lions, was odd.
As an older player, he may have wanted to avoid as much of training camp as possible, if not all of it, and any team that tried to sign him possibly had to have the understanding he would not sign until he did.
The Eagles also played the Thursday night season opener, so signing him right after, like they did, allowed them to avoid guaranteeing his entire base salary for the season.
Beyond anyone’s talent level, Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell want players who have full buy-in. If Smith didn’t want to sign until the end of training camp or after roster cuts, or if he was willing to wait until after Week 1 with the guaranteed salary thing in mind, it may have landed wrong in Allen Park.
Holmes’ instincts are as good as any general manager’s in the league. So even if Smith didn’t openly say retirement was somewhere on his mind, conversations could have offered hints he would do so if he didn’t find the right team to sign with before the season. And six weeks in, he decided he didn’t want to finish the season.
Holmes never seemed all that enthused about bringing Smith back to the Lions, whatever played into that. He now looks clairvoyant for having that hesitation, since he would now be searching for a replacement as the trade deadline fast approaches.
