Za’Darius Smith has publicly made it clear he wants to return to Detroit for the upcoming season. Yet, neither side has seemingly gotten any closer to bringing the veteran EDGE rusher back to the Motor City this offseason. So it begs the question, how much does Smith truly want to be back in Detroit?
This seems like a very obvious move for both sides. The Lions need pass rush help. Remember, they acquired Smith at the trade deadline off the Cleveland Browns for immediate help after Aidan Hutchinson went down with a season-ending injury. He did everything he needed to and could be as good of an asset in 2025.
It feels like Smith is closer to retirement than he is coming back to Detroit. If he truly was that excited and determined to be back in Detroit, it wouldn’t be taking this long to get a deal done. He’s not trying to bleed the team dry and it’s not like the Lions are hesitating to bring him back … or are they?
Detroit being cavalier about re-signing Za’Darius Smith is telling about their priorities
The Lions suffered big losses on the coaching staff and that could be the hold up in bringing Smith back as a veteran cornerstone on an ailing defensive line. Kelvin Sheppard is the new defensive coordinator in Detroit after Aaron Glenn was promoted to head coach of the New York Jets.
Because of the coaching change, that could very well be the reason the Lions are hesitating to bring Smith back. Though Smith was a promotion within, he may not be keen on bringing back an aging EDGE rusher. Smith had a productive 2024 season, despite being 32 years old. He had nine sacks and played in all 17 games.
With Hutchinson’s availability and production in question it would make the most sense for Detroit to bring Smith back at the very least and even look to add another veteran or developmental piece. Which could be their play all along in why they aren’t budging on Smith yet.
Do the Lions have another EDGE rusher in mind instead of Za’Darius Smith?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Detroit is monitoring the Shemar Stewart situation closely in Cincinnati. They may not be able to afford Trey Hendrickson, but they certainly could make a move for Stewart, who has yet to sign his rookie deal with the Bengals.
Stewart is holding out on signing his contract over language that could affect his guaranteed money. While he’s not budging and his agent isn’t helping, the Lions could throw a trade package together to solve the issues on both sides.
The Bengals drafted Stewart in the first round so they could have a high asking price for him, that said, if you’re Detroit, you’re still in win-now mode so overpaying for a rookie that might not have a high ceiling right now isn’t a terrible move.
After all, the Lions are putting all their faith in Hutchinson to set the edge. Whether they bring back an old veteran or rely on an under-developed rookie to complement Hutchinson, either of those are better than what they’re doing right now.
Smith has made it clear he wants to be in Detroit. But the fact that he doesn’t have a locker in Ford Field yet is telling for a number of reasons. Maybe Detroit just isn’t that into him; or maybe he’s just not that into Detroit anymore.