Photo Crdit: Getty Images.

The Lions have decided to move on from veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith. He had 9 sacks last season, and was due $11.57M over the next 2 seasons. Smith had a bit of an odd structure to his deal, which added void years at the end of the deal to help spread out the cap hit. He was essentially making $5M in 2026, without playing.

I understand the move if the Lions will get back all of that money, and could re-sign him later at a cheaper deal. From my understanding, that will be the case. Smith was a pretty solid player for us last year, and I would personally love to bring him back to be a rotational pass rusher for us. It seemed he was happy in Detroit, and he would definitely help us out where we need it.

All said and done, this could signal the Lions are looking to make something happen, which could mean a trade, or more likely making some additions in free agency and the Draft. Stay tuned as we will be putting out an article on possible pass rusher options for Detroit this off-season.

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