When players are preparing to leave a team or have already left via trade or free agency, they will put their house up for sale. It’s very common, especially since a lot of the top players have residences in other states.
What we weren’t necessarily expecting was for Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Za’Darius Smith doing just that. According to The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, Smith has put his house up for sale in Eagan.
#Vikings edge rusher Za’Darius Smith appears to be preparing to sell his house in Eagan; the property is listed as “coming soon” on the real estate market.
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) February 17, 2023
This doesn’t necessarily mean that Smith is gone, but it is curious. Currently, Smith is set to count $15.490,195 against the cap. However, they could save $12,156,861 by either releasing or trading him.
The one key date for Smith is the fifth day of the league year March 19th. That is when $5.05 million of his $9.45 million base salary becomes fully guaranteed.
Even though he only had 0.5 sacks in the second half of the season, Smith still finished in the top five in the NFL with 80 pressures per PFF and the lack of sack production was him seeing constant double teams that opened things up for Danielle Hunter.
The other question is whether Brian Flores wants to have Smith on the roster next year or would he prefer to invest in the secondary with his schemed designed to bring pressure without elite talent. This answer will say a lot about the direction of the defense next season.
