The Detroit Lions have seen a ton of coaches and players leave town this offseason. Some players left town on their own and signed elsewhere, but not everyone received that luxury.
EDGE Za'Darius Smith was one of those guys who didn't have a say in his future in Detroit, as he was released on March 9. The Lions acquired Smith at the trade deadline from the Cleveland Browns to help bolster the trenches after Aidan Hutchinson was ruled out for the season.
GM Brad Holmes spoke about Smith's release at the NFL Owners Meetings on Monday, but his answer won't make Lions fans happy. Holmes said the team released Smith due to financial reasons.
"We couldn't afford it. That's the bottom line. That was my communication with him and he understood that," the Lions GM said (h/t Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News).
He then added, "But we just weren't in a position to really keep him at his salary, because look, he played some good snaps for us and he made plays for us when we acquired him, so we would have loved to be able to keep him, but we just weren't able to. But we've been keeping in touch with his agent, and he understands that process, so we'll just see how it goes."
"We couldn't afford it."#Lions GM Brad Holmes said the team had an "amicable" split with Za'Darius Smith and remains in contact with his agent.
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) March 31, 2025
"We would have loved to be able to keep him...we just weren't able to."https://t.co/jYCm9e8AZg
By releasing Smith, the Lions got $5.7 million in cap savings in 2025 and $5.2 million for the 2026 season. While money like that could help Detroit down the line, it wasn't like they were in dire need of cap space.
According to Overthecap.com, the Lions have $42.9 million in cap space. They could have easily absorbed that number, giving them another capable pass rusher. In eight games with the Lions, Smith posted 12 total tackles, three TFLs, 10 QB hits, and four sacks.
Having effective pass rushers goes a long way in the league. During the 2024 season, the Lions had a ton of players go down with injuries, hence why they traded for Smith. However, moving on after a half-season doesn't make sense, especially given their cap situation.
It looks like Holmes could have something up his sleeve but it came at Smith's expense.