Za’Darius Smith Wants a Detroit Comeback
Za’Darius Smith only spent a couple of months with the Lions last season, but it didn’t take long for him to buy into Dan Campbell’s culture — and now he’s hoping for a return in 2025.
At the BET Awards on Monday, Smith made his feelings clear: “We both know where I want to be. Hopefully I can get back to Detroit because the coaching staff and everybody in the front office are great.”
Last season, the Lions were short on pass rushers after injuries hit Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill. To help out, they traded a couple of late-round picks to the Browns for Smith, who had already picked up 5 sacks in 9 games. He added 4 more in his time with Detroit before getting released in March.
Even after his release, Smith and the Lions kept in touch during the early part of free agency. But by mid-April, GM Brad Holmes said communication had dropped off. The team ended up re-signing Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad — solid players, but not as productive as Smith, who’s racked up 9 sacks in each of the last two seasons. Outside of Hutchinson, no current Lion has matched that.
Smith’s also been super reliable. He’s started at least 16 games in five of the last six seasons and played over 50% of snaps in most of his 2024 games. At 32, he’s not worried about his age — he sees it as an advantage.
“When I’m there I feel like a leader and like I can influence the young guys and do great things,” he said, doubling down: “Hopefully I can get back to where I want to be in Detroit.”
He’s also chasing a Super Bowl ring before he calls it a career. Detroit could give him that shot, but with how hot the edge rusher market has been, he might need to take a more team-friendly deal to make it happen.
