After two seasons, Green Bay Packers defensive end Za’Darius Smith is heading for free agency. The team’s decision to release him seems all but certain, with the Baltimore Ravens being rumored as the frontrunners to land his services.
The “za darius smith” is a player who the Green Bay Packers have decided to cut. The decision seems likely because of Smith’s lack of production and injury history.
In his first two seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Za’Darius Smith racked up 26 sacks. In both 2019 and 2020, he was one of the finest pass rushers in the league. Why would the Packers want to split ways with him while he’s healthy, given his talent?
Smith just did a Kyler Murray and deleted any references to Green Bay from his social media accounts. One of “The Smith’s Bro’s” and the Packers is expected to split ways for one of three reasons.
Here are the last three.
By releasing Za’Darius Smith, the Green Bay Packers will save money.
Green Bay Packers’ Za’Darius Smith #55 walks off the field after a game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field | Stacy Revere/Getty Images
It’s Green Bay’s offseason tale, and it’s so big that it has an influence on everything from Aaron Rodgers’ long-term future with the team to Davante Adams’ free agency.
The Packers will have a significant salary cap problem in the 2022 league year. They’re predicted to be almost $50 million over the salary limit, which is just slightly better than the New Orleans Saints, who are expected to be around $76 million over the threshold.
Green Bay will have to make some difficult choices this offseason, particularly if important free agents like Adams, De’Vondre Campbell, Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, or Rasul Douglas are expected to return.
Smith is legally under contract until 2022, but because of the way his deal is written, the Packers may save a lot of money by releasing him. He brings a wealth of experience to the club, but it may not be worth what Green Bay can save in salary cap space in exchange.
Smith will have the second-highest cap charge ($27.6) on the squad in 2022, behind Aaron Rodgers ($46.6). However, if the Packers split ways with Smith, his dead cap cost would be just $12.3 million, saving the team nearly $15 million.
In the face of a major cap crisis, it makes sense for the Packers to release Smith.
Smith is coming back from a serious back injury.
Green Bay Packers #55 Za’Darius Smith watches the game at Lambeau Field against the Carolina Panthers in the fourth quarter | Dylan Buell/Getty Images
If Smith were coming off his third straight outstanding season as a pass rusher, the equation could be different for the Packers, but that isn’t the case.
Smith was as excellent as he was in his first two seasons in Green Bay, but due to a back ailment incurred in the preseason, he was unable to play for the bulk of the 2021 season.
He started Green Bay’s opening game of the season, a humiliating defeat to the New Orleans Saints, and then returned for the playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Though Smith looked explosive in the playoffs and had a sack, Green Bay must keep in mind that he’ll be 30 at the start of the 2022 season, and a chronic back injury is one of the worst mobility issues an explosive pass-rusher can have. It’s not an ACL rupture, but it’s reason for worry, particularly given Smith’s proclivity for being knicked up.
The emergence of Rashan Gary makes Green Bay’s loss of Smith more palatable.
If Green Bay’s front management actually needed Smith, the cap savings and injury history wouldn’t be such a huge deal, but they don’t.
For the duration of his first several seasons in the NFL, Green Bay picked Rashan Gary with the 12th overall choice in the 2019 NFL Draft, and he was forced to play behind Za’Darius and the other “Smith Bro,” Preston Smith.
Gary was coached by the Smiths, who helped him grow into the outstanding pass-rusher he is today. The Packers had to wait for Gary’s rise since it didn’t happen overnight, but the man we saw in 2021 was one of the top pass rushers in the league.
Gary had a great first season, racking up 9.5 sacks, 28 quarterback hits, eight tackles for loss, 47 total stops, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Gary was seventh in the league in quarterback hits and flashed an incredible first step, explosion around the edge, and ability to bother the quarterback on seemingly every drop-back. His sack numbers weren’t close to T.J. Watt (22.5 sacks) or even Robert Quinn (18.5), but he was seventh in the league in quarterback hits and flashed an incredible first step, explosion around the edge, and ability to bother the quarterback on seemingly every drop-back.
Even with the money saved, Green Bay would not contemplate trading off Smith if Gary hadn’t made a step forward and projected to remain on a superstar trajectory.
Gary, on the other hand, seems to be a potential pass-rushing marvel for the Packers, plus he’s considerably younger (24 years old) and less expensive (cap charge of $5 million in 2022).
Green Bay will still want to choose a pass rusher in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and keeping Preston Smith if they can afford it would be great. Preston Smith’s release would save the Packers $12.4 million this summer, but it would be wonderful to have a true defensive threat to deploy across from Gary.
Whatever happens with Preston, Gary’s 2021 surge has all but ensured that Za’Darius will not be representing the Green and Gold in the forthcoming 2022 season.
ESPN and Pro Football Reference provided the statistics. Spotrac provides contract information.
Is Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, Green Bay Packers teammates, related?
The “packers news” is that the Green Bay Packers are likely to cut Za’Darius Smith. The reasoning for this decision is because he was not a good fit for their defense, and they want to focus on younger players.
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