While most of Detroit Lions fans' attention is on the 2025 NFL season, others are focused on one of the franchise's former players: pass rusher Za'Darius Smith. Acquired from the Cleveland Browns before the 2024 trade deadline, Smith was one of the Lions' most impactful players, which is why the Lions faithful were shocked that he was still unsigned as Week 1 arrived.
Well, it turns out Smith is no longer employed after finally putting pen to paper on Friday. Although some Lions fans might be happy to see the three-time Pro Bowl defender leave the unemployment line, their tunes will likely change quickly once they find out who he's joining.
Smith is signing a one-year contract worth up to $9 million with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. While the 32-year-old disruptor is free to join whom he'd like, there's no doubt that signing with the Eagles is a slap in the face to the Lions.
Za'Darius Smith Disses Lions by Signing with Eagles on Friday
Smith's signing with the Eagles comes as a surprise in the Motor City, given that he was communicating with the Lions throughout the summer. It was only on Aug. 30 when general manager Brad Holmes said "anything’s a possibility" when it came to a potential reunion with Smith, leaving the fan base somewhat hopeful that a return wasn't out of the question.
Instead, Holmes clearly didn't realize that one of those possibilities was Smith joining the defending Super Bowl Champions. The Lions GM clearly thought that playing the long game might result in the veteran defender taking a cheaper deal, and now the time for a reunion has passed them by.
The Eagles already had one of the best defenses in the NFC, let alone the entire NFL. Now they have a pass-rushing machine with 69 sacks, 220 solo tackles, and 10 forced fumbles to his name to go alongside Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo. For reference, Pro Football Focus gave Philadelphia the second-best pass rush grade last season (86.7).
In 17 games (16 starts) split between the Lions and Cleveland Browns last year, Smith racked up 9.0 sacks, 22 solo tackles, and a broken-up pass while finishing with a 76.3 pass rush grade.
It'll be interesting to see how Smith will fare with the Eagles, and Lions fans won't have to wait long to find out. Dan Campbell & Co. will be traveling to take on Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Stadium for the Week 11 Sunday Night Football showdown, and by then, Smith will have worked out any rust accumulated throughout the offseason.
The Lions' road to winning the NFC Championship was likely always going to go through the Eagles, and Smith's signing only adds to that obstacle. Hopefully, his joining Detroit's conference rival will be enough motivation for the Lions to decisively defeat the Eagles in mid-November.