Getty Za'Darius Smith #55 of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to their game against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game at Levi's Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Green Bay Packers could be missing one of their All-Pro defensive weapons when they open their 2021 season against the New Orleans Saints.
According to head coach Matt LaFleur, the Packers are concerned veteran outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith “could potentially” not be available for Week 1’s game against the Saints as he continues to recover from a back injury. Smith was placed on the non-football injury list when he arrived for training camp on July 27 and has only practiced once in a limited capacity since then.
“I’m not quite sure when we’ll get Z back,” LaFleur admitted to reporters on Sunday. “He’s injured right now, so I know he wants to be out there, but we’re going to be smart with him. He’s obviously a big-time player for us. It definitely is a concern.”
Smith, who turns 29 in September, has not missed a start for the Packers since signing his four-year, $66 million free-agent contract in March 2019. He has also been one of their most dynamic defensive weapons in that time, recording a combined 29 sacks, 35 quarterback hits, 144 pressures and five forced fumbles over 36 games (including the playoffs). Even with Preston Smith and Rashan Gary available to pick up the slack, the Packers are a weaker defensive without Z in the fold.
If a tough decision needs to be made about Smith’s status, though, don’t expect the Packers to announce it too quickly. They still have a little less than three weeks to go before heading to New Orleans for their season opener on Sunday, September 12. Each day until then is another opportunity for Smith to find his way back to practice.
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Smith’s Absence Unrelated to Contract
As if LaFleur’s words about the “injured” Smith weren’t enough, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst also clarified in his Sunday press conference that the absence of their star pass rusher has nothing to do with any contract-related issues. He even took it a step further and alluded to a contract adjustment the team made to Smith’s deal around the start of training camp in late July.
“We worked through something earlier to kind of move money around and stuff, earlier like right at the beginning of training camp I believe,” Gutekunst said.
The contract adjustment the #Packers made with OLB Za’Darius Smith didn’t involve new money or pushing cap charges into the future, a source said. The difference is he will get most or all of the $14.26M the team converted to bonus in March right away as opposed to over 18 weeks.
Back in July, Mike Florio of NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk reported that Smith was allegedly “unhappy” with the Packers exercising the automatic conversion option in his contract during the offseason, something they did with nearly every veteran deal they could to make their salary-cap situation more manageable in 2021.
In Smith’s case specifically, the conversion of his $14.76 million base salary into a signing bonus could be interpreted as a cut-or-trade situation for the Packers with the maneuver pushing his cap number north of $28 million for the 2022 season. The additional restructure, however, accelerates Smith’s payout and allows him to collect more of his money sooner while the team weighs their options.
While the Packers cutting or trading Smith may seem inevitable to some, it is always possible for the two sides to come together and work out a new extension agreement between now and next March. Smith has given them plenty of reasons to re-sign over his first two seasons in Green Bay, leading the team in sacks in both years and earning All-Pro recognition in 2020.
An extension would also presumably reduce Smith’s 2022 cap hit from the $28.13 million that Over the Cap currently projects for him; though, money for him would mean less money to extend or re-sign others, such as Jaire Alexander (fifth-year option in 2021), Davante Adams (2022 unrestricted free agent) or Aaron Rodgers (final year of his contract in 2022).
Gary Ready to Break Out in 2021?
The Packers would prefer to have all three of their top pass-rushing weapons available when they open their season against the Saints next month, but an absence for Smith in Week 1 could also provide the perfect environment for Gary to start his third NFL season in eye-catching fashion.
The former 2019 first-round pick delivered a strong sophomore outing for the Packers in 2020 as a rotational piece behind the Smith Bros. Despite playing on just 44% of defensive snaps, Gary still managed to produce seven sacks, 27 quarterback hurries and 39 quarterback pressures across 17 games, outdoing Preston Smith in nearly every measurable way while playing about 350 fewer snaps for the defense. If he can receive a greater chunk of pass-rushing snaps in 2021 and maintain the same high level of play, the Packers could have a breakout star on their hands.