Right before free agency, the Detroit Lions decided that they were going to release Za'Darius Smith. The move made sense at the time because the Lions really wanted ot get out of that 2026 void year before it wound up turning his just over $5 million deal into $11 million.
At the Annual League Meetings, Lions GM Brad Holmes explained what the thought behind the move was and dropped a little hint at the end that was worth noting.
"Yeah, look, it was, it was an amicable, you know, decision. We couldn't afford it. It's bottom line. You know, that was my communication with him, and he understood that." Holmes said, "We would have loved to have been able to keep him, but we just weren't able to. But we've been keeping in touch with his agent and he understands that process."
Well, perhaps there's a chance that a deal could get done soon since Smith was in Detroit Friday night at the Pistons game against the Bucks.
Anyone who has been following his Instagram looking for clues for the last month (Hi, that's us) knows that Smith has been training in Florida most of the time.
Now, it is worth noting, as Kory Woods of MLive did, he was at the game with his girlfriend Kash Doll, who is from Detroit. It's possible that maybe they're just taking in a game and that's it. But then again, it's not like this is that big of a game considering that it's the second-to-last game of the regular season and the Pistons are about to play playoff games in a couple of weeks.
We'll continue to monitor the situation and see where things go, but a reunion would be a big deal for the Lions.
