Report: Za’Darius Smith returning to Ravens on four-year deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Za’Darius Smith reportedly is no longer signing with the Baltimore Ravens and will remain a free agent.
On Wednesday, the veteran pass rusher was going to return to the team that drafted him on a four-year, $35 million deal with a max value of $50 million, but according to Ian Rapoport, the signing is off.
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The Ravens selected Smith in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He tallied 18.5 sacks over his first four NFL seasons before signing with the Green Bay Packers in the 2019 offseason.
He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons in Green Bay, but he played just one regular season game in 2021 after undergoing back surgery. He returned for the Packers’ divisional round loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Smith was released on Monday and was set to carry a $27.6 million cap number for the Packers in 2022.
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A return to the Ravens would've been a great redemptive story for the 29-year-old, but now Smith is back on the market.