Getty Za'Darius Smith #55 of the Green Bay Packers jogs off the field after defeating the Atlanta Falcons 30-16 at Lambeau Field on October 05, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Za’Darius Smith has apparently had a change of heart about rejoining the Baltimore Ravens for the 2022 season.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the former Green Bay Packers pass rusher has decided not to sign with the Ravens after one day earlier agreeing to terms on a four-year, $35 million contract with a maximum value of $50 million for next year.
Jeff Zrebiec, who covers the Ravens for The Athletic, proved more background on the situation. He said the team felt it had reached a “deal” and “verbal agreement” with Smith on Wednesday after working to alleviate some of his concerns, but that “Smith changed his mind” and never even got to the point of taking a physical for the team.
Zrebiec also added he believed at least part of Smith’s decision was motivated by the amount of money he saw other teams shelling out for top-level edge rushers in the past few days. Guys like Von Miller (six years, $120 million), Chandler Jones (three years, $52.5 million) and former Packers teammate Preston Smith (four years, $52.5 million) have all gotten substantial paydays since the negotiating period began this week.
Smith remains a free agent and should have a good market with other teams still looking to bolster their pass-rushing units for next season.
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Slim Chance of Smith Reunion With Packers
Smith might be backing out of a deal with his original team, but that doesn’t mean the chances of a reunion with the Packers have improved at all. The Packers released Smith just three days ago to create about $15.3 million in cap space and are coming off a year in which the 29-year-old outside linebacker played only 18 snaps in the season opener due to a back injury, one that required him to get midseason surgery.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Smith was also “believed to be unhappy” with the Packers before any of that due to them exercising the automatic conversion option in his contract for the 2021 season. The move saved the team immediate cap space for 2021, but it also sent Smith’s 2022 cap hit soaring and set up a situation in which Green Bay would likely either cut or trade him during the offseason for cap relief — which is exactly what ended up happening.
Maybe the two sides could overlook their negative history, but the Packers don’t have much of a reason to consider bringing him back. Yes, Smith was a two-time Pro Bowler in his first two seasons with the team and racked up 29 sacks and more than 140 total pressures over that span, but the board has been set for Preston Smith and Rashan Gary to be the primary starters in 2022. Even if there would be value in adding another veteran to the rotation for depth, it wouldn’t be someone with Smith’s price tag.