In that soft, wonderful cushion of time between an Eagles Thursday victory and the full slate of NFL Sunday, Howie Roseman got us all a present: EDGE Za’Darius Smith. On Friday, Smith signed an incentive laden 1/$4.25m contract with Philadelphia. Let’s break it down.
The Contract
As always, never believe what you first hear about an NFL contract, it’s almost always a “lies, damn lies, and statistics” situation. While it was initially reported (and proliferated around the internet) that Smith had signed for $9m, that’s not really true. The deal has a maximum value of $9m but a base salary of just $4.25m. Incentives include $500k for a Pro Bowl, $500k for 11 sacks/Pro Bowl and a trip to the Super Bowl, then another $500k for winning it. The other $3.25m is based on sack numbers and other miscellanea for which we don’t yet have details. Despite our confidence as Eagles fans, these aren’t considered incentives likely to be earned.
Basically, if he makes all $9m we are going to be happy as all hell to pay it! That means not only is he crushing QBs at a Pro Bowl level, but the team is winning too. He would be worth every penny. There was a Lions blog out there that was saying “good riddance” which got my attention. The negativity wasn’t based on performance or personality, it was based on an incorrect reaction to the contract. Thanks guys!
Smith the Player
What are we getting in Smith? A 33-year-old pass rusher with 69 sacks over 10 years in the NFL. Those numbers are a little deceiving though. After 10 sacks in his first 3 seasons and missing almost the entire 2021 season, that’s 59 in his last 6 full years. Even last year, he had 9 sacks between the Browns and Lions with 17 more QB hits. Despite not being on a team, PFF ranked him as the 29th best EDGE defender (our Nolan Smith was 28) in the league due to his still elite pass rush win rate of 18.7%. This was good for 7th in the league.
Crazy enough, Smith didn’t start playing football until he was a senior in high school. From there, he went the junior college track before transferring to Kentucky for his junior and senior years. At the combine, almost nothing stood out and he was taken in the 4th round by the Ravens. Those first 3 years without any solid stats make a lot more sense now. It took a little while to learn his craft
For the Eagles, he joins Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and Josh Uche in the EDGE rotation. Azeez Ojulari is here too but didn’t dress for Week 1 despite not having an injury. That probably means he isn’t long for the roster. Expect the new Smith to be in on 3rd and long situations as another big problem for defenses. The Eagles LOVE having fresh bodies to throw at QBs, so giving the vet plenty of rest along with fertile hunting conditions seems like an ideal union between team and player.
Smith the Mercenary?
There’s always a market out there for pass rushers. Every so often a player’s career twists and turns and instead of being one team’s long term piece they become a mercenary. They bounce from team to team at the price of about $1m per sack. 5-10 sacks is going to cost around $5m-$10m. Think Jadaveon Clowney, Jason Babin, and Yannick Ngakoue. It’s easy to group Smith in with this crowd, but that’s not really what happened despite his numbers and the Eagles being his 6th organization.
After getting drafted by the Ravens, he was not resigned and inked a huge (at the time) free agent contract with the Packers, 4/$66m. Smith thrived in Green Bay, notching 26 sacks in his first two years, making the Pro Bowl both times. After an injury wiped out his 3rd season in Green Bay, he was released and signed with Minnesota for 3/$42m, where his 10 sacks got him back to the Pro Bowl. This is where the back of his trading card gets messy. The Vikings traded him to Cleveland where 5.5 sacks earned him another contract extension. After a very solid start to his 2nd year in Cleveland, they traded him to the Lions at the deadline. All in all, he had 9 sacks on the 2024 season. Still, the Lions let him go.
Now on the Eagles, he seems less like a mercenary and more like a guy just trying to make his career worth it on a team that wants him. His $4.25m guarantee does not seem like it was a contract to the highest bidder but rather the best situation. Coming into a pass rush rotation like the Eagles probably wasn’t the place with the most playing time either. After being on 5 teams that have all tasted playoff disappointment, I think he just wants to win and be appreciated.
Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference and contract details courtesy of Spotrac
Philly Front Office 
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