Za’Darius Smith’s surprise retirement came down to family first.
The 33-year-old defensive end explained his midseason retirement from the Eagles in 2025 at his first press conference since returning to the NFL.
“I wasn’t supposed to retire,” Smith said Tuesday. “I wasn’t going to tell the story, but I’m going to tell it. I got a phone call from my mom’s doctor telling me that she don’t have much longer to be on this earth. I let the team know. Obviously they wasn’t trying to let me leave, but that was the only thing I had left — to retire. So, I retired.”
After his mother died, Smith said his father and grandmother soon followed in what made for a very emotional year that left him in a “dark place.”
He appeared in just five games for the Eagles last season, tallying 1.5 sacks.
The three-time Pro Bowler decided to come back and joined the Falcons on a one-year, $6 million deal this offseason.
“This is my happy place,” Smith said. “Come back, play football. I was in a dark place, but, you know, coming out, running out on the field, the fans — not just the fans, man, the joy that I get from winning and just getting sacks.”
Smith initially worked out for the Browns this offseason in hopes of signing with the team.
Yet, after conversing with general manager Andrew Berry, the financial offer fell short of Smith’s expectation.
Thus, the Falcons swooped in to fill a hole in their roster after Jalon Walker tore his ACL and to cover for James Pearce’s suspension for a domestic dispute with the Chicago Sky’s Rickea Jackson.
It’s a fitting landing spot for Smith, who said his mother claimed she “always” wanted him to be in Atlanta because it was close to his family’s Alabama home.
The veteran has hopped around the league throughout his 11-year career.
Smith spent four years with the Ravens after the organization selected him in the fourth round out of Kentucky in the 2015 NFL Draft.
He then spent three seasons in Green Bay before shorter stints with the Browns, Vikings, Lions and Eagles.
In 2024, which was split between the Browns and Lions, Smith had nine sacks and 17 quarterback hits across 17 games.
