According to Aaron Wilson, the Cowboys and Chiefs are two of the teams interested in signing former Packers OLB Za’Darius Smith.
Wilson says Dallas is making a strong push to sign Smith after losing DE Randy Gregory to the Broncos. The team needs a bookend to DE DeMarcus Lawrence.
Kansas City has also expressed interest in Smith, per Wilson. Both teams have been linked to the veteran pass rusher throughout this offseason.
Smith had reportedly agreed to a four-year deal with the Ravens worth $35 million with the potential to reach more than $50 million. However, he backed out before signing, and Wilson is told it’s believed to be because he saw the sizable deals signed by Raiders OLB Chandler Jones and Bills DE Von Miller and thought he could get more.
It’s worth mentioning that signing him to a contract won’t impact a team’s 2023 compensatory picks, given that he was released this offseason.
Smith, 29, is a former fourth-round pick of the Ravens back in 2015. He played out the final year of his four-year rookie contract before agreeing to a four-year, $66 million contract with the Packers in 2019.
Smith had one year remaining on his contract and was set to make a base salary of $14,500,000 for the 2021 season when the Packers released him.
In 2021, Smith was limited to appearing in one game for the Packers and recording one tackle and no sacks.
We have him included in our Top 100 – Available 2022 Free Agents list.
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