Za’Darius Smith’s biggest fan is watching him play for the Atlanta Falcons.
His mother, Sharon Smith, can’t be there in person. But she’s the reason he’s in Atlanta. She’s the reason he’s chasing after opposing quarterbacks for another season after contemplating retirement.
Smith is one of this era’s premier pass rushers, but his well-traveled career looked like it was done midway through the 2025 season. He stepped away from the Philadelphia Eagles midway through the year.
At 33 years old, Smith seemed like he had chosen a step past his life on the gridiron.
But really, there was much more going on in Smith’s life.
How Za’Darius Smith Joined Falcons
Smith stepped away from the Eagles not to retire, but to be with his family.
Sharon’s time was running short, and Smith knew he needed to be by his mom’s side.
“I wasn’t supposed to retire,” Smith told reporters at his Falcons introductory press conference. “… Got a phone call from my mom’s doctor telling me that she don’t have much longer to be on this Earth. So, I let the team know. Obviously, they wasn’t trying to let me leave, but that was the only thing I had left: to retire. So, I retired.”
It set off a string of painful loss in Smith’s life.
“Dealt with that,” Smith explained. “After losing my mom, I lost my grandma. Then, after my grandma, I just lost my dad.”
Smith wasn’t sure whether he’d return to the NFL, but then the Falcons called.
“My mom, rest her soul, she always wanted me to be in Atlanta with the Falcons,” Smith said. “I’m from Alabama, so she always wanted the fam to come up and support me for the games because that’s a closer ride.”
At the Falcons’ home opener, Smith had 43 members of his hometown church in attendance. Sharon couldn’t be there, but in all those people, she was there.
Smith had already achieved another thing that surely made his mother proud — in Week 1, he sacked Aaron Rodgers twice during the Falcons’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“My mom used to always talk about Aaron Rodgers,” Smith said after Week 1. “When I left Green Bay and went to Minnesota, and I had to play against the Packers, it was always, ‘Go get Aaron Rodgers, get him on the ground.’ And I had an opportunity to do that yesterday. That was the only sad part: I couldn’t call her and talk to her about it.”
There’s no doubt mom was watching.
Za’Darius Smith Teams in NFL Career
Smith has played in 147 NFL games across 12 seasons, suiting up for seven different teams.
He began his career with the Baltimore Ravens before going to Green Bay with the Packers, Minnesota with the Vikings, Cleveland with the Browns and Detroit with the Lions. Smith played those five games for the Eagles last season, and now he’s two games into his Atlanta tenure.
He has 73.0 career sacks, including three seasons with double-digit sacks and three Pro Bowl selections.
Even at age 34, he’s the most pivotal piece of Atlanta’s pass rush, and he’s playing with a heartfelt purpose.
How Za’Darius Smith’s Mom Inspired Return to Atlanta to Play for Falcons