When the Detroit Lions found themselves with a major need in their pass rush in the middle of the 2024 NFL season, they made a trade with the Cleveland Browns to bring in Za'Darius Smith.
At the time, they were looking for somebody to step in after they lost Aidan Hutchinson for the year because of an injury.
Now Hutchinson will be back for the 2025 season, but the team still has a pass rush need.
With Smith currently available as a free agent, the two seem to once again be a perfect match.
However, it seems unlikely there will be a reunion after his latest comment.
On April 21, Smith shared a video Kash Doll posted where she is trying to convince him to return to the Lions. In the video he asks (via MLive's Kory Woods), "You gon' pay half my salary?"
Earlier in the offseason, general manager Brad Holmes said the reason Smith is no longer with the team is because the Lions can't afford him.
This backs that idea up and makes it seem like the two sides aren't even close on the former All-Pro's value.
It's unfortunate for both sides as Smith didn't hide his desire to return to Detroit early in the offseason and there isn't a better fit out there for the Lions right now.
Smith was solid in his short stint with the team, contributing four sacks over eight games in Detroit. Despite only playing half the season with them, those four sacks were still the second most on the team.
We'll get a clearer picture of the Lions' plans for their pass rush throughout this week, but for now it seems those plans are unlikely to involve Smith.
