Vikings Edge Rusher Za'Darius Smith a Name to Watch for Browns
On Thursday, Vikings edge-rusher Za'Darius Smith informed Minnesota that he would like to be released, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. However, the report also mentioned the Vikings have no plans to move on from the 3x Pro Bowler.
The report came after Smith posted a tweet thanking "Skol Nation for an amazing season & experience."
The Browns make a lot of sense here and are a team to watch for if the Vikings are forced to cut ties with the 30-year-old pass-rusher.
Last off-season, when he was a free agent, I was told there was strong mutual interest between the Browns and Smith prior to him eventually agreeing to a contract with the Vikings.
The mutual part of this whole thing is really, really important. Smith, I’m told, loved the idea of playing opposite Myles Garrett and ultimately wanted to play alongside another star edge-rusher in 2022.
Last season, Smith had the opportunity to play alongside Danielle Hunter, a 3x Pro Bowler, in Minnesota.
With Myles Garrett still dominating, Deshaun Watson at quarterback and Jim Schwartz now in at defensive coordinator, it likely makes Cleveland even more enticing for Smith than it was last off-season.
Smith and the Browns were in communication last year, however, Cleveland never ended up sending a contract offer to Smith. The Browns wanted to figure out their situation at quarterback prior to negotiating a deal with Smith, that would have potentially brought him to Cleveland, a source communicated to me last off-season.
Smith and his camp didn’t want to wait any longer to hear from the Browns and he had, and initially agreed on a 4-year, $35M offer from the Ravens last year. He ended up backing out of that contract agreement with Baltimore, and signed with the Vikings, where he got the opportunity to play opposite Hunter.
Now, Smith will likely become available to other teams around the league and the Browns could very well have legitimate interest in Smith again this off-season. If Cleveland were to make a trade for him, it would likely only take a conditional draft selection to bring his services to Cleveland.
If the Browns decide to wait this out, Smith could eventually be released by the Vikings if a resolution is not found later on in the off-season. While it's not known what the Vikings plan to do with Smith's request, it's something to keep an eye on and monitor as we head into free agency next week.
