Browns Digest

Browns Trade for Vikings DE Za'Darius Smith

The Cleveland Browns have made a significant trade, acquiring edge rusher Za'Darius Smith from the Minnesota Vikings per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Pete Smith|
Browns Trade for Vikings DE Za'Darius Smith
Browns Trade for Vikings DE Za'Darius Smith

In this story:

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns have acquired defensive end Za'Darius Smith from the Minnesota Vikings in a trade as reported by Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Smith agreed to restructure his contract so that he will earn $11.75 million in 2023 and become a free agent afterward.

Za'Darius Smith is coming off of a 10 sack season as the edge starting opposite from Danielle Hunter with the Vikings. Andrew Berry's old friend Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah, the general manager of the Vikings has not been shy about the team's need to shed salary and transition into a new, younger era.

Meanwhile, Smith had requested to be released earlier in the offseason. Smith almost signed with the Browns the last time he was a free agent but ended up choosing the Vikings in the end. Smith joins Myles Garrett and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo to make a formidable trio of edge rushers on the Browns. He also joins former Vikings teammate Dalvin Tomlinson who signed with the Browns this offseason after playing with the Vikings the last few seasons.

Smith and Garrett are players that can also slide inside to rush on passing downs, enabling all three to be on the field at once. The Browns love pass rushers who generate pressure at a high rate. Smith generated 78 pressures on 495 pass rush snaps in 2022 according to PFF. That's a rate of 15.7 percent.

In exchange for Smith, the Browns did a pair of pick swaps. They gave up their 2024 and 2025 fifth-round selections in exchange for sixth and seventh-round picks in 2025.

Published
Pete Smith
PETE SMITH

Home/News