Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith posted a cryptic message on Twitter on Friday, potentially foreshadowing his departure from the team after three seasons.
Smith, who has an increasingly uncertain future with the team because of salary-cap reasons, posted nothing more than the eyeballs emoji on his official Twitter account, but it’s worth noting considering what could be on the horizon.
Smith also scrubbed clean his Twitter and Instagram accounts, leaving behind no reference to the Packers.
Does the 2020 All-Pro know his time in Green Bay is coming to an end?
It’s certainly possible Smith will soon be released. His cap number rises to almost $27.7 million in 2022, the final year of his current contract. The Packers must find a way to drastically reduce Smith’s impact on the cap before the start of the new league year, and a release appears to be the only sensible path forward. If the Packers cut Smith, the team would save almost $15.3 million on the cap in 2022.
The Packers could pursue a trade, but two significant obstacles exist: teams know the Packers need to dump Smith’s salary, and a trade would mean the Packers have to keep Smith’s contract on the books past the start of the new league year. The team has to shed over $50 million from their cap commitments before March 16, and Smith’s contract is a huge part of the puzzle.
Smith was the Packers’ prized free-agent acquisition in 2019. He produced 26.0 sacks and 60 quarterback hits over two fantastic seasons in 2019 and 2020, but he played in just one regular-season game while battling a back injury that required surgery in 2021. He returned for the postseason and played a handful of snaps – producing a sack – in the Packers’ loss to the 49ers.
Smith turns 30 in September and is coming off a significant injury. But his quarterback-disrupting ability and versatility as a pass-rusher should make him an attractive player on the open market, especially considering how important rushing the quarterback remains in today’s NFL.
Regardless of whether Smith’s tweet meant something or nothing, expect something to be finalized on his future in Green Bay in the near future.
Also of note, the Packers replaced outside linebackers coach Mike Smith with Jason Rebrovich on Friday, meaning a big leadership change is in store for the Packers’ edge-rusher group. Smith is leaving Matt LaFleur’s coaching staff to pursue other opportunities.
