Getty Defensive lineman Za'Darius Smith of the Green Bay Packers goes after David Montgomery of the Bears.
Za’Darius Smith has led the Green Bay Packers in sacks each of the last two seasons, but the veteran pass rusher is rumored to be growing discontent in relation to his current situation with the team.
Smith started all 16 games in each of his two seasons with the team, forcing 5 fumbles while also netting 29 tackles for loss to go with 26 sacks. He has been a core member of the Packers defense since his arrival in 2019, but amidst the talk about the discontent of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and star wideout Davante Adams, a new rumor regarding Smith’s unhappiness in Green Bay has emerged, partly perpetuated by Smith himself.
Smith took to Twitter on July 23, tweeting that he “needed a realtor ASAP,” and while he later backtracked, saying he was just looking to buy a new home, many wondered why he would tweet something sure to stir up rumors in the middle of an already tumultuous time for his team.
Now, a July 24 report by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio says Smith is not happy with his current contract situation.
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Smith is a Goner Next Season Without Extension, Florio Says
“Packers pass rusher Za’Darius Smith raised eyebrows on Friday when he tweeted, ‘I need a realtor in GreenBay ASAP!!’ And while within 35 minutes he downplayed the tweet as a reference to looking for a new house in the Green Bay area, some in league circles believe something is up,” Florio began, before going into more detail about the situation:
“As one league source explained it to PFT,” Florio continued, “Smith is believed to be unhappy about the team exercising the automatic conversion option in his contract, converting a large chunk of 2021 salary to a guaranteed payment and, in turn, pushing his 2022 cap number north of $28 million. He knows that come next year, the magnitude of the cap charge for keeping him around means he’ll likely be cut or traded.”
Smith, who turns 29 in September, has played the best football of his career in Green Bay, but he’s also getting older. From Smith’s perspective, he’d like to secure his future considering the injury risk in this league (see: what happened with Packers All-Pro offensive lineman David Bakhtiari tearing his ACL shortly after signing a contract extension last season).
From Green Bay’s point of view, the team values its top pass rusher, but at what cost? He’s close to 30, and the team has other fiscal commitments, too. Much likely depends on the kind of deal Smith is asking for, and we don’t know that information yet.
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Smith ‘Wants Security or He Wants Out’
Florio also added that the linebacker’s unhappiness with his contract stems from some confusion on Smith’s part about how his bonuses were going to be paid out and/or converted:
Smith, per the source, didn’t realize the import of the automatic conversion language. Also, he’s believed to be not happy that the Packers didn’t pay out the 2021 guarantee ($14.76 million) in March. By letter of the agreement, the Packers will make the payments in weekly chunks during the season, resulting in Smith getting no net benefit from the move. Instead, the restructuring hurts him because it makes his cap number in 2022 too high for the team to carry. It’s not an issue if he signs an extension before next March. Currently, that’s not expected to happen. Smith previously displayed his displeasure by making an agent change. And it’s believed that, like quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Smith wants security or he wants out.
Oof. This could not have come at a worse time for the Packers. First Rodgers and Adams have had their quibbles with the team aired publicly, and now Smith’s name is being added to the list. Brace yourselves, Packer Nation. It’s going to be one interesting year.
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