Za'Darius Smith just walked away. On October 13, 2025, the news hit the wire that one of the most unpredictable, effective, and traveled pass rushers of the modern era was hanging up his cleats. He was 33. He was playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. And honestly? He still looked like he had a little juice left in the tank.
Most people look at a guy like Za'Darius and see the jersey swaps. Baltimore, Green Bay, Minnesota, Cleveland, Detroit, and finally Philly. It looks like a journeyman's career on paper. But when you actually dig into the Za'Darius Smith stats, you realize he wasn't just a "hired gun." He was a focal point.
The Numbers That Actually Matter
If you want to understand the impact he had, don't just stare at the sack column. 70.5 career sacks is a massive number—it puts him in a very elite bracket of players who consistently got home. But the real story is in the "almosts."
During his peak years in Green Bay, specifically 2019, Smith recorded 13.5 sacks. That's the flashy number. But check this out: he had 37 quarterback hits that year. 37! That is an absurd amount of punishment to hand out over 16 games. He wasn't just getting sacks; he was living in the backfield. He followed that up with 12.5 sacks in 2020 and another 23 QB hits.
He was the engine of that Packers defense. He'd stand up, move inside, stunt over the guard, and basically ruin offensive game plans by being too fast for big men and too strong for the fast ones.
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The Career Arc: A Slow Burn to Explosive
He didn't start as a superstar. Not even close.
Smith was a fourth-round pick out of Kentucky back in 2015. Baltimore has a "type," and he fit it perfectly. He spent four years as a rotational piece, slowly building his resume.
- 2015 (Ravens): 5.5 sacks as a rookie. Encouraging.
- 2016-2017 (Ravens): A bit of a lull. Only 4.5 sacks total across two seasons. People started wondering if he was just a guy.
- 2018 (Ravens): The breakout. 8.5 sacks and 25 QB hits. This is where he earned his massive Green Bay contract.
Then came the "Big Z" era. Between 2019 and 2022 (ignoring the 2021 season where a back injury cost him almost the entire year), he was a Pro Bowl lock. He made it in 2019, 2020, and 2022. Even when he moved to Minnesota in 2022, a lot of skeptics thought he was washed. He responded with 10 sacks and 24 hits.
Why the Detroit and Philly Stats Look Weird
If you're looking at his 2024 and 2025 production, it feels fragmented. Because it was.
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In 2024, he started with the Cleveland Browns. He was part of a terrifying tandem with Myles Garrett, racking up 5 sacks in just 9 games. Then, at the trade deadline, the Detroit Lions scooped him up to fill the massive void left by Aidan Hutchinson's injury. He gave the Lions 4 sacks in 8 games. He was exactly what they needed for a playoff push.
But then came 2025. He signed with the Eagles in September. He played five games. He got 1.5 sacks and 10 tackles. And then, he just... stopped.
The retirement was abrupt. 145 regular-season games. 343 total tackles. 10 forced fumbles. It’s a resume that screams "Hall of Very Good," and for a few years there, he was legitimately one of the three best edge rushers on the planet.
Dealing with the "Inconsistency" Label
Critics love to point out that Smith's production would sometimes vanish for three-week stretches. It's a fair point, sorta. But if you look at the advanced Za'Darius Smith stats from PFF or Next Gen Stats, you see that even when he wasn't getting the sack, he was usually drawing the double team.
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In 2024, even at age 32, his pressure rate was still hovering around 16.7 percent. To put that in perspective, that's top-tier efficiency. He wasn't winning every down, but when he won, he won fast.
What's Next for the "Big Z" Legacy?
He finished with 70.5 sacks. To give you some context, that's more than many "household names" who played much longer. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2020. He was a locker room leader who invented the "Meet at the Quarterback" celebration.
For fans and collectors, his 2019 Green Bay tape is the gold standard. It's the blueprint for how to use a versatile "Elephant" rusher in a modern 3-4 scheme. He proved that you don't have to be a first-round pick to become a $66 million man.
Actionable Insights for Following Defensive Stats:
- Look for QB Hits: Sacks are volatile and often involve luck. QB hits are a much more stable predictor of future performance.
- Check the Pressure Rate: A player with 5 sacks but a 15% pressure rate is often "better" than a player with 8 sacks and a 10% pressure rate.
- Watch the Alignment: Notice how many of Smith's sacks came from him lining up over a Guard rather than a Tackle. That versatility is where the real value lies.
He leaves the game as one of the few players to be a legitimate fan favorite for three different NFC North rivals. That alone might be his most impressive stat.