Lions to release veteran DE Za’Darius Smith, source says
The Detroit Lions plan to release veteran defensive end Za’Darius Smith, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Sunday.
The Lions talked about options over the past week, but a $2 million roster bonus due Friday spurred the action, the source told Fowler.
Smith wrote “Thank you Detroit” on his Instagram page after the news, sharing photos from his Lions tenure.
Smith finished with nine sacks last season — four with the Lions — playing a pivotal role on Detroit’s defense after the team lost Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson in Week 6 to a fractured tibia and fibula.
He was traded to the Lions in November along with a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Cleveland Browns for a 2025 fifth-round pick and 2026 sixth-round pick, helping the Detroit defense stay afloat during the team’s record-setting 15-win season where it earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the postseason for the first time.
Smith, 32, is a three-time Pro Bowler with 69 career sacks over 10 seasons with the Lions, Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens. In 2020, he also earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Smith was selected in the fourth round (122nd overall) of the 2015 NFL draft out of Kentucky by the Ravens.
“The Pat McAfee Show” crew reacts to DK Metcalf requesting a trade from the Seahawks and discusses where he could end up. (2:03)
Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed is returning to the team on a three-year deal worth up to $25 million, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Reed is coming off a strong season with Seattle, recording 4½ sacks, 5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in 17 games. His 680 snaps were second most among Seattle defensive linemen, behind Leonard Williams.
Reed is the second player the Seahawks have re-signed this week. The other was cornerback Josh Jobe, who was a restricted free agent.
Reed was one of the Seahawks’ top free agent priorities, along with linebacker Ernest Jones IV. Seattle and Jones have been trying to get a deal done.
Re-signing a 10th-year veteran in Reed signals that the Seahawks are not in a full-on rebuild despite all the notable names they’ve parted with over the last few days. Seattle agreed to trade quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick on Friday after releasing wide receiver Tyler Lockett and four other players earlier in the week.
The team is also exploring a trade for receiver DK Metcalf, which the two-time Pro Bowl selection requested on Thursday.
Reed, 32, a Seahawks 2016 second-round draft pick out of Alabama, has been the team’s last link to its defenses from the “Legion of Boom” era.
He spent his first five seasons with the Seahawks before they released him in 2021 amid a contract dispute. He landed with the Kansas City Chiefs after that and then spent the 2022 season with the Green Bay Packers before returning to Seattle in 2023.
Known as a run-stuffer in college and early in his NFL career, Reed emerged as a pass-rushing threat in 2018, recording 10½ sacks that season. He has 38½ sacks over nine seasons, including a combined 11½ over the past two.
ESPN’s Brady Henderson contributed to this report.
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Cardinals began rebuilding their pass rush by agreeing to re-sign outside linebacker Baron Browning to a two-year contract Sunday, a day before the free agency negotiating window begins.
Financial terms were not disclosed but Browning’s deal is worth $15 million, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Browning, 26, was traded to the Cardinals from the Denver Broncos in early November, providing an instant boost to their pass rush.
In eight games with the Cardinals, Browning had two sacks, 14 tackles (11 solo) and three quarterback hits. He provided depth for Arizona at a position where it severely needed it. The Cardinals lost projected starting outside linebacker B.J. Ojulari to an ACL injury during training camp in August and then lost starting outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck to an ACL injury in October, leaving the Cardinals thin off the edge.
Browning, a 2021 third-round pick out of Ohio State, made $1.5 million last season.
In four seasons with the Broncos and Cardinals, Browning has 11.5 career sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, an interception and six passes defended.
The news of Browning’s deal was first reported by NFL Network.
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Detroit Lions release veteran edge rusher Za’Darius Smith: Report
Za’Darius Smith’s time as a Detroit Lion is reportedly over.
ESPN and NFL Network reported on Sunday the Lions are releasing the veteran defensive end one day before the NFL’s legal tampering period for free agency begins. Smith joined the Lions as a midseason trade in an effort to boost Detroit’s pass rush after losing Aidan Hutchinson to a season-ending injury in October.
The Lions sent the Cleveland Browns a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick in return for Smith and 2026 seventh-round pick. Smith, 32, had four sacks and three tackles for loss in eight games for the Lions and did not record a stat outside of a pass deflection in Detroit’s divisional round loss to the Washington Commanders to end their season.
Smith had one year remaining on a two-year, $23 million contract he signed with the Browns. According to Spotrac, the Lions saved $5.75 million in cap space by releasing Smith.
Two of the Lions’ early roster moves also addressed the edge position. The Lions first re-signed linebacker Derrick Barnes, who typically plays on the line as the SAM linebacker in Detroit’s scheme, to a three-year deal worth $25.5 million. On Saturday, the Lions re-signed defensive end Marcus Davenport to a one-year deal worth up to $4.75 million with incentives. Both Barnes and Davenport suffered season-ending injuries in Week 3.
Smith, a three-time Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro in 2020, can now sign anywhere. He finished his 10th year in the NFL and has 69 career sacks in his time with the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Browns and Lions.
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Follow Jared onX orBluesky, and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.
Za’Darius Smith released by Lions, Aaron Jones re-signs with Vikings
Two big moves from inside the NFC North involving former members of the Green Bay Packers ahead of the start of free agency: edge rusher Za’Darius Smith was released by the Detroit Lions, while running back Aaron Jones re-signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Lions released Smith on Sunday. The former Packer was acquired by the Lions from the Cleveland Browns at the trade deadline last October. He tallied 4.0 sacks and 10 quarterback hits across seven games with the Lions.
Smith, 32, had a roster bonus worth $2 million coming due next week.
While one former Packer is likely leaving the division, another is staying put.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Jones signed a two-year deal to return to the Vikings, who signed him to a one-year deal after the Packers cut him in 2024. Jones is getting a nice pay day — the deal includes $13 million guaranteed and is worth $20 million over two years.
Jones, who turned 30 last December, rushed for 1,138 yards and five touchdowns and gained 1,546 total yards — the second-most in his NFL career — over 17 games last season. He dealt with a few injuries but still managed career highs in carries and touches as a top weapon in Kevin O’Connell’s offense in 2024. The Vikings are banking on him staying healthy and explosive as he approaches 31 years old in 2025.
Smith, a three-time Pro Bowler who saw his career take off after being signed by the Packers in 2019, has played for three of the four teams in the NFC North, with the Chicago Bears as the lone exception. Could he finish his divisional tour in 2025? He’ll have options as a free agent.
