Za’Darius Smith heading back to Baltimore

Divisional Round - Los Angeles Rams v Green Bay Packers
Getty Images

Za'Darius Smith started his NFL career with the Ravens and he’ll be heading back to Baltimore to continue it in 2022.

According to multiple reports, Smith has agreed to a four-year, $35 million deal with the AFC North club. There are incentives in the deal that can push the total value as high as $50 million.

The Ravens drafted Smith in the fourth-round of the 2015 draft and he recorded 18.5 sacks while mostly playing a rotational role in his first four seasons.

Smith was released by the Packers on Monday as they moved to create cap space ahead of the new league year. He left the Ravens for the Packers as a free agent in 2019 and went to back-to-back Pro Bowls while recording 26 sacks in his first two seasons. A back injury knocked him out after Week One in 2021, but he was able to return for the playoff loss to the 49ers.

22 responses to “Za’Darius Smith heading back to Baltimore

  1. I hope they remember to vote him team captain in Baltimore, otherwise he may have his feelings hurt again and decide to sit out.

  2. Way overpaid for him. Back problems. Will never be the same player. Packers were smart to let him go.

  3. Good luck Zadarius! Thanks for the time with the Packers and good luck in the future.

  4. Ravens were willing to throw cash at him because he won’t count against the compensatory formula calculations due to being a released player rather than an expired contract. Usually they aren’t buyers in free agency.

  5. Great pass rusher when healthy, but that’s a lot of money for someone who’s had back surgery. Good luck to him.

  6. Love the signing, but not the terms. I feel they overpaid. Definitely not a Newsome signing. Ozzie would have bid against other teams, not against himself.

  7. realfootballfan says:
    March 16, 2022 at 6:27 pm
    Ravens easily have the best front office in football.

    ———

    If that was true they would have a top QB

  8. People saying it’s a over pay is blind and delusional!! It’s 4 years 35 million that’s 8 million per Jones got 17.5 and Von Million got 20 Million per he’s younger than both lmao.

  9. Fun player, impact player when healthy. Rare ability to beat interior players with quickness. Thanks Z, good luck to you.

  10. Where are the Ravens getting all this money? Weren’t they strapped against the cap already? What about Lamar’s Large 5th year option salary. Suddenly theyre just signing anyone….

  11. nhpats2011 says:
    March 16, 2022 at 6:55 pm
    realfootballfan says:
    March 16, 2022 at 6:27 pm
    Ravens easily have the best front office in football.

    ———

    If that was true they would have a top QB

    ——————————————————–

    LOL. Nice try though. Teams that get to draft the top flight QBs are usually pretty bad leading up to that point. The Ravens are usually drafting in the 20s, which is an indication of how good an organization they are.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.