Za’Darius Smith only played in Detroit for 2 months last season, but he quickly bought into Dan Campbell‘s culture and is in search of a return to the Lions in 2025.
“We each know where I would like to be,” said Smith on the BET Awards on Monday (via USA Today’s Tyler Dragon). “Hopefully I can get back to Detroit since the coaching staff and everybody within the front office are great.”
The Lions were in desperate need of pass-rushing help finally 12 months’s trade deadline after injuries to Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill, in order that they sent a pair of Day 3 picks to Cleveland for Smith, who began the season with 5.0 sacks in nine games. The ten-year veteran posted 4.0 sacks across his nine games in Detroit and was released in March.
The 2 sides remained in contact through the primary few waves of free agency signings, but by mid-April, Lions general manager Brad Holmes indicated that communication had ceased. The team re-signed veteran edge rushers Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad, but neither has been as productive in Smith in recent times. He has logged 9.0 sacks in each of the last two seasons, greater than any Lion outside of Hutchinson.
Smith has been durable, too. He’s began at the least 16 games in each of the last three seasons and five of the last six, and in 2024, he had a snap share over 50% in 14 of his 17 appearances. Accordingly, the 32-year-old believes his age is more of an asset than a liability.
“After I’m there I feel like a frontrunner and like I can influence the young guys and do great things,” continued Smith before repeating, “Hopefully I can get back to where I would like to be in Detroit.”
Smith also made it clear that he is concentrated on winning a Super Bowl before he retires. Returning to the Lions could possibly be a strategy to accomplish that, but money could possibly be a barrier after a robust marketplace for edge rushers this offseason. Smith might need to just accept a team-friendly deal to land in his desired destination in 2025.
