Za’Darius Smith Unretires (Again) to Sign 1-Year Deal With Falcons

Just when you thought Za’Darius Smith had finally hung up his cleats for good, the veteran edge rusher has found another locker room to call home. According to Ian Rapoport and agent Erik Burkhardt, Smith is signing a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

Death, taxes, and Za'Darius Smith signing a one-year contract with an NFC team that desperately needs someone to hit the quarterback. At this point, his transaction log reads like a witness protection program itinerary, bouncing from the Cleveland Browns to the Detroit Lions to the Philadelphia Eagles and now down to Georgia.

"Za’Darius Smith is signing a 1-yr deal with the Atlanta Falcons per agent @ErikBurkhardt. - Ian Rapoport"

The 33-year-old is coming off a bizarre 2025 campaign where he logged just five games and 1.5 sacks before reportedly mulling retirement midway through his 11th season. But when a franchise is desperate enough for edge help, those 70.5 career sacks on the back of your football card start looking really attractive.

Atlanta clearly needed to do something after getting absolutely boatraced 27-7 by the Denver Broncos in their recent August tune-up. You do not give up four scores to Denver without realizing your defensive front needs a little more juice, even if that juice is currently pushing 34 years old.

For anyone holding Falcons defensive futures or eyeing their win totals, this is the exact kind of low-risk depth move that makes sense on paper. You are not getting the prime version of Smith who wrecked offensive lines for the Green Bay Packers, but you are getting a guy who knows how to win a one-on-one matchup on third down.

The real question is how much gas is left in the tank for a full 17-game grind. We will see exactly what Smith has left to offer when Atlanta rolls out its revamped defensive rotation for the regular season opener.