After losing Aidan Hutchinson to a season-ending injury, the Lions picked up Za’Darius Smith in a trade to bolster their pass rush. Though he contributed solidly during his short stint, Detroit released him before he was due a $7 million option bonus.
This wasn’t the first time a team from the NFC North cut ties with Smith due to salary cap constraints—Green Bay did the same in 2022. Since then, Smith has played for Minnesota, Cleveland, and then Detroit. While the Browns tried to extend his deal a year after acquiring him, the Lions are now considering a similar move.
According to Justin Rogers of Detroitfootball.net, general manager Brad Holmes has kept communication open with Smith’s representatives. However, Holmes made it clear that the financials would need to work better this time around.
“At the end of the day, we just couldn’t afford him,” Holmes said. “He understood where we were coming from. He gave us quality reps, made big plays—of course we’d have liked to keep him. It just wasn’t financially possible.”
Detroit sent a fifth-round pick in 2025 and a sixth-rounder in 2026 to get Smith last year. That structure closely resembled the Vikings-Browns deal from the previous season. In total, Smith posted nine sacks in 2024, including four during his time with the Lions, along with 10 quarterback hits. He showed more impact than he had in 2023 and has managed to stay mostly healthy since a serious back injury in 2021, missing only two games in three years. That said, he’ll be 33 by the start of next season, and Detroit must also plan for a major payday for Hutchinson.
“We’ve benefited from having a lot of productive players on rookie contracts,” Holmes added. “But those deals eventually run out. What we commit to this year impacts not only next year, but even 2027. We have to be smart about that.”
Looking ahead, potential contract extensions loom for young stars like Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Sam LaPorta in 2026. At the same time, recent deals for Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jared Goff, and Taylor Decker will soon carry larger cap hits. While Smith could still fit in as a short-term piece, Holmes is clearly mindful of the team’s shifting financial picture.
Despite injury issues in recent years, the Lions re-signed Marcus Davenport to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million. Smith, who has three double-digit sack seasons under his belt, is likely seeking a bigger payday. Still, if he’s willing to accept a more team-friendly contract, a return to Detroit remains a possibility. How the Lions address their pass rush in the upcoming draft will also be a factor, especially as they prepare for Hutchinson’s eventual big-money extension.
