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Three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Za’Darius Smith made headlines earlier this week after he was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Detroit Lions.
The Lions are the current favorite to make the Super Bowl out of the NFC, while the lowly Browns have had a disaster of a season. But Smith did not seem happy about the trade when it happened, sending out a tweet that read simply, “SMH.”
He quickly deleted the tweet, raising some concerns among Lions fans. But as it turns out, it was all one big misunderstanding.
Big Smile when I asked Za’Darius Smith about his tweet pic.twitter.com/Lzgkb2msLe
— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) November 8, 2024
Za’Darius Smith Didn’t Mean To Worry Detroit Lions Fans With Cryptic Tweet
“It was just taking too long,” Smith told Detroit media members on Friday with a big smile on his face. “But obviously, after that they got it done (and) I deleted it. I’m sorry for the fans that (were) thinking otherwise. But yeah, (I’m) happy to be here. Happy to be with this football team.”
Smith, who had five sacks through nine games in Cleveland, has some big shoes to fill.
The Lions lost superstar pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a broken leg earlier this season in a game against the Dallas Cowboys. Some reports have suggested that Hutchinson could be back in time to play in the Super Bowl should Detroit make it that far. But that seems more hopeful than anything else.
Lions coach Dan Campbell sounded more than happy to have Smith join his 7-1 team.
“It’s good to get him here. He brings an element of toughness, smart football player, can set an edge, can get an edge in rush, close the pocket down,” Campbell said. “He’s just a really good complementary piece that I think is going to work well with our guys.”
Smith is set to make less than $1 million from Detroit the rest of the season not including incentives. His cap hit then jumps to just $5.4 million for the second year of the two-year deal he signed with Cleveland.