Inside The Vikings

Vikings Trade Za’Darius Smith to Browns After One Season

Smith spent one season in Minnesota and recorded ten sacks.
Will Ragatz|
Vikings Trade Za’Darius Smith to Browns After One Season
Vikings Trade Za’Darius Smith to Browns After One Season

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Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have traded Pro Bowl edge rusher Za’Darius Smith to the Browns, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Here are the details:

Browns get: Za'Darius Smith, 2025 6th-round pick, 2025 7th-round pick. Vikings get: 2024 5th-round pick, 2025 5th-round pick. Importantly, Minnesota also clears cap space in the move.

This has been a possibility since Smith posted a farewell tweet to the Vikings’ organization in March. After spending one season with Minnesota and recording ten sacks and 78 pressures, the former Packer wanted a new contract. Smith signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Vikings last offseason.

Smith, who made his third career Pro Bowl appearance last season, will get $11.75 million guaranteed next season and will hit free agency next spring. If he has a big year, he’ll be in line to cash in on a multi-year deal somewhere in free agency.

A former Ravens fourth-round pick out of Kentucky in 2015, Smith developed into a star with the Packers. Following a 2021 season in which he missed a big chunk of time due to injury, he joined the Vikings on a three-year deal with a $14M AAV that was below the market rate for star pass rushers. Once Smith proved himself again in Minnesota, he wanted out of his contract.

Smith joins a Browns team that already features superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett. Cleveland is banking on that duo and a Deshaun Watson-led offense becoming contenders in the loaded AFC.

The Vikings will move forward with Danielle Hunter — who is an extension candidate — and Marcus Davenport at edge rusher.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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