Za’Darius Smith Signing With Falcons

The Za’Darius Smith saga took a different course on Tuesday after the Falcons announced that Smith would be signing with Atlanta, a plot twist from what was originally reported over the weekend.

Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot reported Sunday that Cleveland was expected to sign Smith after the veteran worked out with the team earlier this month. Cabot went on to say a deal could happen as early as Sunday, with Smith flying back to Cleveland.

“It proved to be a fit for both sides,” Cabot wrote. “If all goes planned, he should be under contract shortly thereafter.”

Smith then responded to a post on social media about Cabot’s report, saying:

“I have another workout tomorrow morning with a different team! Who told you to post this?😂”

Smith deleted the comment roughly 10 minutes later, but that “different team” turned out to be the Falcons.

A member of Smith’s team reached out to us via Instagram DM on Sunday afternoon, roughly 6 to 7 hours after Cabot’s initial report, and told us that Smith was not signing with the Browns and would instead sign with the Falcons. This came before Smith’s workout with Atlanta was publicly known.

Smith worked out for the Falcons on Monday, and his team followed up that day to say a deal would happen shortly. On Tuesday, the Falcons announced that Smith was signing with Atlanta instead of reuniting with Cleveland.

This isn’t a knock on Cabot, who has decades of experience covering the Browns and is a credible reporter. However, between Smith publicly responding to her report and a member of his team reaching out to sports pages behind the scenes, it raises the question of whether Smith was frustrated that the potential Browns deal became public before anything was finalized.

Whether that frustration played any role in his decision to sign elsewhere is unknown, but the timing certainly makes the entire situation interesting.

The 33-year-old is returning for another NFL season after briefly retiring while with the Eagles midway through last season. He later returned before Philadelphia released him this offseason, making him a free agent.

Smith previously spent parts of the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Browns, which made another stint in Cleveland appear possible. Instead, the veteran pass rusher will continue his career in Atlanta.