The Philadelphia Eagles suffered an unexpected setback when Za’Darius Smith announced his sudden retirement. The veteran edge rusher made this decision on Monday, after their Week 6 loss against the New York Giants last Thursday.
Ex-Eagles legend and two-time Super Bowl champion, Chris Long, was also taken aback by Za’Darius Smith’s sudden retirement announcement. He shared a tweet on X, opening up his thoughts on the situation while wishing the veteran edge rusher the best of luck for his future.
“Great career- no idea what’s going on up there but regardless, Big Z was one of my favorite players to watch.”
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Smith began his NFL journey with the Baltimore Ravens back in 2015. He went on to play for several teams, including the Packers, Vikings, Browns, and the Lions. In September, he signed a one-year deal worth $9 million to play for the Eagles this season.
Za’Darius Smith played in five games for Nick Sirianni’s team this season. He recorded 10 total tackles along with 1.5 sacks. Throughout his 11-year NFL career, the veteran edge rusher played in 145 total games. He tallied a total of 343 tackles, 70.5 sacks, 87 tackles for loss, and 176 quarterback hits.
Za’Darius Smith expresses gratitude to all the NFL teams he played for during his professional career
The veteran edge rusher announced his retirement through a post on Instagram. He shared several photos of himself throughout his entire NFL career.
In the caption, Za’Darius Smith expressed his gratitude to the fans and all the franchises that he played for. He also shared his thoughts on moving on to the next chapter of his life.
“I knew this day would come- but now that it’s here, I’m feeling so many emotions I never expected,” Smith wrote. “Who would’ve thought that a kid from Greenville, AL, with just one year of hight school football experience, would go on to play professional football in the NFL for 11 incredible years!”
“This game has givem ne the opportunity to meet great coaches, compete alongside some of the best players ever, and represent some of the greatest organizations in the league. …And to the fans-the biggest thank you of all. To every fan from each organization I represented; thank you, thank you for everything! … As I step into the newest season of my life, please know this game has meant the world to me. The lessons learned on and off the field will stay with me forever.”
Following Za’Darius Smith’s retirement, the Eagles now have problems on their edge rusher depth chart. Nolan Smith is expected to return in Week 9, whereas Ogbo Okoronkwo is out for the entire season after tearing his triceps in Week 4 against the Bucs.