The Detroit Lions have a new pass rusher on the defense in EDGE Za’Darius Smith. Lions GM Brad Holmes pulled the trigger on a trade that sends two Day 3 picks to the Cleveland Browns for the 32-year-old Smith, plus a 2026 seventh-round pick, in return.
Smith should play extensively as the most accomplished pass rusher on the Lions roster. And he comes affordable for the rest of the 2024 season; Detroit is responsible for just $605,000 for the remainder of this year, with the Browns eating over $4.5 million in dead cap room.
The rest of Smith’s two-year, $23 million contract that runs through 2025 is now Detroit’s responsibility, and it’s a little complex. That’s because there are some options and void years that complicate it, though the Lions have options and control over how to handle them.
Smith has a base salary of a very affordable $1.2 million for the 2025 season and it’s not guaranteed. However, there is a $2 million bonus due on the third day of the 2025 NFL calendar. There is also a per-game bonus of $510,000 baked into the contract, as well as four void years at the end of Smith’s contract.
The Lions can keep the contract as-is, but that seems unlikely given the higher cap hits that assuming the void years and bonus structure creates: $5.4 million in 2025 and $5.6 million in 2026.
Because nothing is guaranteed after the 2024 season, the Lions could walk away from that deal, cut Smith and take on no dead cap room. They could also agree to a new deal with Smith in the offseason, one that would provide some guaranteed money to the defensive end but less long-term cap hit to make a more appealing contractual marriage for 2025. That, of course, depends on how well Smith fits into the Lions culture and defense for the rest of the 2024 campaign.