Za'Darius Smith Returns to Falcons on $8 Million Deal After 10-Month Retirement
Updated
Updated · Bleacher Report · Aug 18
Za'Darius Smith Returns to Falcons on $8 Million Deal After 10-Month Retirement
3 articles · Updated · Bleacher Report · Aug 18
Summary
Ten months after retiring, Za'Darius Smith agreed to a one-year Falcons deal worth $6 million and up to $8 million with incentives.
Atlanta moved after losing Jalon Walker to a season-ending knee injury and James Pearce Jr. to an eight-game suspension, leaving a major edge-rushing gap.
Smith, who turns 34 on Sept. 8, brings 70.5 career sacks across 145 regular-season games and posted nine sacks as recently as 2024.
The 11-year veteran played five games for Philadelphia before retiring in October 2025, recording 1.5 sacks, and now joins Samson Ebukam and Azeez Ojulari in Atlanta's patchwork pass rush.