Three months ago, Zadarius Smith announced his retirement from the NFL.
Now he is reportedly preparing a comeback.
The three-time Pro Bowler is interested in returning to football and is gauging the market for a possible 2026 signing, according to multiple reports. Smith retired from the Eagles in March, citing his desire to spend more time with family. The retirement was short-lived.
His preferred destination, per league sources, is the Detroit Lions. Smith has a history with Detroit, having played there in 2023 before being traded to Cleveland. The Lions also have a clear need for edge depth and could use a veteran presence in a defense that just lost some key contributors in free agency.
The reaction around the league has been mostly amused. Smith is 33 years old and was already showing signs of decline before he stepped away. He had four sacks in 13 games last season, his lowest total since 2019. The numbers were not what they used to be.
But he is still a name. Edge rushers with his resume do not show up on the market every day, especially not in June. Even at this stage of his career, Smith brings real value to a contender that needs late-down pressure off the bench.
The bigger question is whether any team wants to take the risk. Smith is a guy who literally retired three months ago. That suggests he had reasons to step away beyond just the family stuff he mentioned publicly. Whether those reasons are still in play is something every interested team is going to want to know before signing him.
The Eagles have already moved on. Philadelphia let Smith go without much fanfare in March and used the cap space elsewhere. They are unlikely to bring him back, even if he wants a reunion. Their pass rush room is set.
The Lions are the most logical landing spot for all the obvious reasons. Detroit head coach Dan Campbell loves veteran tone-setters, and Smith fits that profile. The locker room is built for vets who want one more run. The team is built to win now.
The other interesting team to watch is whoever has a sudden edge injury in training camp. Smith is the kind of name agents will float every time a contender loses a starter to a torn ACL in August. He is essentially an insurance policy for the entire league at this point.
This also is not the first time an NFL veteran has done this dance. Rob Gronkowski, Richard Sherman, and several others have walked back retirements over the years. The pull of the game is real, the money is real, and most guys do not actually want to leave on their own terms.
For Smith, the comeback math is simple. He took three months off, he wants more snaps, and he can probably find a team willing to pay him eight figures over two years to chase a ring. That is a better deal than most 33-year-olds with declining production are ever going to get.
Whether he gets back to Pro Bowl form is another question entirely.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
