Former Packers OLB Za'Darius Smith Visiting With Vikings on Monday
Former Packers outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith is in Minnesota on Monday for a visit with the Vikings, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Smith and the team have also confirmed the visit.
Smith, after being released by the Packers a week ago for salary cap reasons, agreed to a four-year, $35 million deal with the Ravens, with incentives that could push the total value up to $50 million. He was all set to return to the place where he played his first four NFL seasons.
Then he backed out. According to Pro Football Talk, Smith and his agent proposed a "dramatically different deal" to the Ravens than the one they had agreed upon, and Baltimore said no. It's been reported that the big-money contracts signed by edge rushers Chandler Jones and Von Miller around the same time influenced that move by Smith. Either way, his free agency remains open.
The Vikings have made sense as a potential fit for Smith for a while now, mainly because he's very familiar with new Minnesota assistant head coach Mike Pettine and outside linebackers coach Mike Smith. Pettine was his defensive coordinator in Green Bay in 2019 and 2020 and Smith was his position coach for each of the last three years.
Update: the Vikings and Smith have agreed to terms on a three-year, $42 million deal.
Both Pettine and Mike Smith helped Za'Darius Smith take his game to the next level when he signed with the Packers in 2019. After starting 16 games and recording 18.5 sacks in four years with the Ravens, he became a full-time starter in GB and racked up 26 sacks in two seasons. In 2019, Smith posted an elite 90.2 PFF grade and led all defensive players with 93 pressures.
Smith missed almost all of last season with a back injury, but returned for the divisional round of the playoffs and sacked Jimmy Garoppolo in the Packers' loss to the 49ers. He had four sacks in five playoff games with Green Bay.
For the Vikings, as always, it'll come down to price. They're operating near the salary cap right now, even after clearing money with extensions or restructured deals for Kirk Cousins, Adam Thielen, and Harrison Smith. Converting Danielle Hunter's $18 million roster bonus — which vested this weekend — to signing bonus could free up additional space.
Other teams, including the Cowboys and Chiefs, are reportedly interested in Smith, so it's no sure thing that he ends up with the Vikings.
But if he does, the Vikings could have an extremely dynamic duo of edge rushers with Smith and Hunter. Both players are coming off major injuries, but they were No. 1 and 2 in the entire NFL in pressures in 2019. It's also worth noting that Smith could theoretically be a Hunter replacement if the Vikings decide to trade the 27-year-old.
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