Remember Za'Darius Smith? Philadelphia Eagles fans would like to after the stunt he pulled on them last year. Well, he's duped another team again.
Smith was originally reported to be signing with the Cleveland Browns after the Eagles released him in June, as he makes his NFL comeback from retirement. That's no longer the case, as it's now been reported that after a workout with the Atlanta Falcons, Smith is signing a one-year deal with them.
Last year, the Eagles signed Smith in the hopes that he can add a boost to the edge rusher room. He ended up playing a whooping five games, racking up 10 tackles, three quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks before retiring.
Eagles watch Za'Darius Smith dupe another team after signing with Falcons
Smith has a history of showing zero loyalty to a team or keeping his word. Years ago, he backed out of a contract with the Baltimore Ravens to sign elsewhere. He faked out the Eagles after five games and has now put the Browns in a bad spot by not signing with them.
If this is the kind of antics the Falcons want to deal with, that's their business. Smith has a previous relationship with Atlanta's head coach, Kevin Stefanski, from when they were together in Cleveland years ago, so it makes sense. The Falcons lost their top two edge rushers to injury and suspension, so they had to make a move.
Still, it shows the kind of character that Smith has that makes Eagles fans grateful for what he did last year. The Eagles ended up trading for Jaelan Phillips, and Brandon Graham came out of retirement, which was the difference in helping this team make the playoffs.
Things at edge rusher got even better in the offseason, with the team trading for Jonathan Greenard during the draft and signing A.J. Epenesa. Plus, Jalyx Hunt is on his way to having a monster 2026 season after leading the team in sacks and interceptions last year.
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Eagles fans surely won't be rooting for Smith to succeed after what he did in Philly last year and how he left. He can enjoy himself with a subpar Falcons team while the Eagles are once again a contender for the Super Bowl, like they always do in 2026.
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