The 2024 NFL trade deadline has come and gone, surprising many with an unusual level of activity for the NFL.
While football dominates many entertainment spheres, its trade deadline typically pales in comparison to basketball, baseball, and hockey, due to factors like complex position demands, high draft pick value, and strict salary cap limits.
Yet this trade deadline and its preceding weeks saw key moves, including trades involving prominent players leading up to November 5.
One trade in particular—the Detroit Lions acquiring Za’Darius Smith—may prove to be more significant by Super Bowl LIX than some of the flashier receiver trades made across the league.
The Lions acquired Smith from the AFC North to the NFC North for only a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Smith was in the first year of a two-year, $23 million deal with Cleveland, structured to increase Cleveland’s leverage. The deal included a $10.79 million signing bonus and $12 million guaranteed, leaving only a $605,000 cap hit for his base salary.
With Detroit holding the fifth-largest cap space in the league, the Lions were not pressured into choosing Smith solely for affordability.
So why did Detroit pursue Smith? Consistency. Now in his second year with the Browns, Smith has been remarkably reliable throughout his career.
So far in 2024, he has over five sacks, six tackles for loss, and seven quarterback hits. Smith has posted five or more sacks every healthy season since 2017.
Although he benefited from playing alongside Myles Garrett in Cleveland, Smith’s production across four teams shows his value as a pass rusher.
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Smith stands out from the other edge rushers traded, including Preston Smith, Baron Browning, and Josh Uche, and is more impactful than rumored options like Maxx Crosby and Azeez Ojulari.
Currently, the Lions boast a 7-1 record and one of the NFL’s top offenses but lost some defensive impact after Aidan Hutchinson’s injury. Ranked 20th in sacks but fifth in points allowed, Detroit needed a pass rusher to replace Hutchinson’s 7.5 sacks this season.
BSmith may see fewer opportunities in Detroit’s defense, but the Lions didn’t bring him in expecting Cleveland-level production. Instead, his presence will open up one-on-one chances for teammates and allow their secondary more aggressive plays.
This calculated move aims to strengthen Detroit’s defense and could be pivotal in the playoffs, giving the Lions a way to fill the void left by Hutchinson’s absence without overspending.
