Getty Former Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith celebrates a play during a September 2018 game.
Former Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith has signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, an upgrade on the deal with the Ravens that he backed out of on March 17.
Now, instead of returning to the franchise that drafted him in 2014, Smith will stay in the NFC North with the Vikings and play his former team, the Green Bay Packers, twice this season.
The Ravens were linked with Smith when he was released by the Packers on March 14, and they swooped in with a four-year, $35 million contract that could go up to $50 million with incentives. General manager Eric DeCosta was praised for signing the two-time Pro Bowler for less than $9 million per year, with the maximum value of $12.5 million per year still viewed as a steal.
But after fellow All-Pro edge rushers Von Miller and Chandler Jones got significantly more money, Smith reversed his decision to return to Baltimore, per Heavy’s James Dudko, leading to widespread confusion throughout the league, especially when he didn’t quickly sign a better deal elsewhere.
Details of Smith-Ravens Talks Emerge
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio shed some light on the situation on March 20, explaining that Smith came back to the Ravens after backing out of the initial deal:
Smith and his agent then proposed a different deal to the Ravens. The Ravens accepted the revised terms. They were then told that Smith would make a decision the next day. The next day, Smith and his agent proposed a dramatically different deal. The Ravens passed, and that was that.
For Smith to propose two new deals to the Ravens would indicate that he had other offers, or at least clear interest from another team. He then finished the first week of free agency without a deal, leading some to think that he had misplayed his market.
But after visiting Minnesota over the weekend, Smith got the deal wanted, with an average annual value of $14 million that could eclipse $15 million with incentives. That puts him within the top 20 per-year averages at his position, per OverTheCap, while his deal with the Ravens would have left him outside the top 30.
Ravens Unlikely to Acquire Danielle Hunter
Smith’s 180-degree turn leaves the Ravens searching for an edge rusher with Tyus Bowser recovering from a torn Achilles.
The Vikings were “trying to trade” defensive end Danielle Hunter after a torn pectoral prematurely ended his 2021 season, wrote Heavy’s Trevor Squire on March 17. The two-time Pro Bowler has only a cap hit of only $24.4 over the next two seasons, per OverTheCap, which the Ravens can certainly absorb even after their initial offseason signings.
The Ravens were even suggested as a potential destination for Hunter back in February, according to Heavy’s James Dudko, but it seems like the Vikings aren’t shopping Hunter anymore.
ESPN’s Field Yates reported that Minnesota restructured Hunter’s contract on March 22, noting that the move “helps fit [Za’Darius] Smith into the picture.” Yates’ specific wording suggests that the Vikings are planning to retain Hunter to pair with Smith to form yet another Pro Bowl edge rusher duo this offseason.