Former Brown Who Could Be Cut Attempting to Stay With New Team

The Cleveland Browns saw a lot of familiar faces leave town in 2024, including pass rusher Za'Darius Smith. With the playoffs out of the question, the Browns traded the veteran defender to the Detroit Lions ahead of the November deadline in a deal that also involved three draft picks.

Unfortunately, Smith's time in the Motor City hasn't gone as planned.

The Lions were eliminated by the Washington Commanders in the Division Round despite being the NFC's No. 1 seed. Detroit has about $59 million to upgrade its roster and come back stronger next season, per Spotrac, and that number could increase if the team decides to part ways with Smith.

As a result, the 32-year-old edge rusher is doing what he can to convince the Lions not to let him go.

Browns News: Za'Darius Smith Pleads Case to Remain with Lions

Over the weekend, Smith took to his Instagram page to discuss the 2024 season. Although the Lions didn't come close to challenging for the Super Bowl, that failure isn't stopping the ex-Kentucky product from wanting to play football in Detroit.

"Motor City, 2024 didn’t go as planned at all," Smith wrote. "We fell short of the outcome we had planned for! 2025 gives us another opportunity to adjust and go for that championship!"

"I enjoyed every moment with my boys, and even though some faces have changed for the new season, I hope to be a part of this great organization for the future!"

Even though Smith's $4 million cap hit is digestible, the $11 million in total cash he's due could make the Lions re-evaluate his outlook. He's due a $2 million roster bonus and a $6.99 million option bonus on top of his having four void years remaining on his contract, which could be something Detroit wants no part of.

After being traded from the Browns, Smith went on to tally seven solo tackles, four sacks, and a broken-up pass in eight games (7 starts) with the Lions. Unfortunately, the former 2015 fourth-rounder turned invisible once the postseason arrived, failing to record a single tackle in the Division Round loss to the Commanders.

It didn't help that Smith was also one of the Lions' worst performers in said playoff exit. He finished the heart-breaking loss with terrible grades on Pro Football Focus in terms of tackling (24.8), run defense (27.9), and overall defense (39.8).

Smith can still put up numbers on a good night, but it's clear that he's no longer the defensive game-changer he once was. He's already played with four franchises since the start of the 2021 season and could be forced to join a fifth if the Lions want to use his roster spot and salary on a more consistent contributor.

Browns fans hoping for a reunion shouldn't hold their breath, though. Cleveland is currently $26.8 million over the salary cap, meaning they'd have to free up a ton of space or Smith would need to accept an extremely team-friendly deal for that to happen.

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